A Move to a Kill

By Artchil B. Fernandez

The 19th Congress will adjourn sine die on June 13, 2025. Two days before adjournment is also the reset date for the start of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. Senate President Chiz Escudero originally scheduled the start of the trial on June 2, 2025, when Congress resumed session after the election break.

There is something sinister about the new postponement of the impeachment trial by Escudero. He already postponed the trial last February after the Senate received the impeachment complaint from the House, despite constitutional command that it should be done “forthwith” or immediately. Immediately, for Escudero, is delay.

Filipinos are suspicious of Escudero’s latest maneuver. The public views the new antic of Escudero as a move to a kill – terminate or abort the impeachment of Sara Duterte. Escudero’s intention is clear as daylight.

To say that Escudero is placing the impeachment trial in the bind to serve the Dutertes is mechanical and simplistic. Escudero is doing it to serve Escudero’s self-interest. He is a sly politician who fleeces the current situation to advance his own agenda. His decision is dictated by the exigencies of selfish pursuit.

Escudero is appeasing the Duterte camp to retain the Senate presidency. He is in danger of losing the post with Tito Sotto openly bidding for the position. Allowing the Duterte bloc to run amok and make a mess in the Senate particularly on the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte is Escudero’s way of securing the Senate presidency. In his calculation, giving the Duterte camp what they want ensures he retains his position.

The Duterte camp, seeing opportunity at Escudero’s delaying antic, immediately seized the chance to push for the Senate’s abandonment of the impeachment trial. Bato dela Rosa circulated a resolution seeking the “de facto” dismissal of the impeachment trial. He would not be so bold to make the controversial proposal if not encouraged by Escudero’s lukewarm behavior on the impeachment trial of the vice president.

While Escudero is giving hope to the Duterte camp, he is also catering to the other side. Escudero is actually playing both sides, mining the situation to advance his personal agenda. Though he allowed the Duterte camp to scheme, Escudero is also giving a lifeline to the administration. He did not close the door to the impeachment trial but held it hostage. Escudero did this to extract concessions from the administration, especially on his future as Senate president. He needs the backing of the administration to hold on to the position.

Will the move to kill the impeachment trial succeed? Is the impeachment proceeding already over? Notwithstanding the plan of the Duterte camp to abort the impeachment and Escudero’s attempt to squeeze from the situation the political juices he needs, the future of the impeachment trial hinges on the will of one person, Bongbong Marcos (BBM). The trial can only be killed if the administration wants it dead.

Stung by the poor performance of his slate in the midterm election, BBM said he never wanted his vice president impeached. This is a rehashed statement. He said the same when Congress was moving to impeach Sara Duterte. Despite BBM’s public opposition, more than two-thirds of Congress impeached Sara Duterte. First name on the list of signatures was BBM’s own son.

BBM could be playing Jekyll and Hyde again. Publicly he is disavowing the impeachment of Sara Duterte while privately plotting to have her removed from her post.

The administration has many options available to proceed with the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte. It still has the numbers in the Senate to push for the impeachment trial if it wants to. The Duterte camp can huff and puff all they want, but they do not have the numbers to prevent the impeachment trial from moving forward. Aborting the trial is the call of the administration and not of the Dutertes.

In the end, the move to kill the impeachment trial largely depends on the administration. Escudero is merely trying to curry favor from the Dutertes with his play-acting of moving to kill the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte. At the same time, he is also giving the administration time to make a final decision on the matter. Escudero will go along with whatever the administration decides – abort or proceed with the trial.

A move to a kill by Escudero is his way of giving the administration a way out should it desire to abandon the impeachment trial of the vice president. The administration can make a retreat under cover of Escudero’s “kill the impeachment” move. Escudero can then extract political bonanza from a grateful administration.

If the impeachment trial is discarded with Escudero taking credit for it, the Dutertes will be forever grateful and beholden to him. Escudero will appear as a hero to the Duterte minions and he calculates this will bring him political windfall. Should the administration decide to proceed with the trial, Escudero can at least tell the Duterte camp he tried his best to help them.

What is tragic about the situation is constitutional mandate and duty are held hostage by the overweening ambition of one person – Chiz Escudero. Holding the impeachment trial is a constitutional mandate of the Senate. Impeachment trial is not a piece of legislation which the Senate has the discretion to accept or reject. It is a constitutional duty of the Senate to hold the trial once it receives the impeachment complaint. None of these matters to Escudero.

The paramount concern of Escudero is how he can immensely profit from the current political stand-off. Escudero is a paragon of a consummate politician absorbed with personal ambition, the nation be damned.