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Advocates Philippines
VP Sara Duterte: Chiz Escudero Is Not The Type To Be Easily Intimidated
Photo credit: Sara Duterte
Vice President Sara Duterte believes Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero is not someone who can be easily swayed or intimidated, even amid persistent questions about the delayed progress of her impeachment trial.
In an interview in The Hague before flying back to Manila on June 4, Duterte dismissed speculation that Escudero might be afraid of her.
"I do not know him to be the kind of politician who gets scared easily. So I really don’t understand where this idea of him being afraid of me is coming from," she said.
Her remarks came as discussions around the impeachment complaint filed against her continue to heat up, especially with growing scrutiny over the Senate's pace in handling the case.
Escudero, for his part, maintained that his decisions are not influenced by fear or pressure, emphasizing that both houses of Congress must respect each other’s independence.
"In all my years of public service, I’ve never acted or decided out of fear. Even Vice President Sara herself has said she doesn’t believe those claims," Escudero stated.
He also pointedly addressed concerns from the House of Representatives, some of whom have accused the Senate of dragging its feet.
"Some congressmen seem to expect the Senate to follow the Speaker’s lead. Well, if it’s their job to be subservient to Speaker Romualdez and push for this impeachment, that’s not our job in the Senate," Escudero said.
"We will do our duty based on what we believe is the right process, grounded in law and fairness."
Escudero further reminded that when the House took more than two months to act on the impeachment complaint before transmitting it to the Senate, the Senate remained silent out of respect.
"It’s in their own rules that the Secretary General should immediately forward the complaint to the Speaker. That didn’t happen for over two months. Did anyone hear us complain? No. We respected their process—and I hope the same courtesy is extended to us."
He also clarified misinformation about a supposed Senate resolution seeking to dismiss the impeachment complaint.
"There is no such resolution filed or pending in the Senate. Any document being circulated in the media without an author is nothing more than a scrap of paper. Unless it is formally filed, debated, and voted on, it holds no weight."
As the debate continues, both the Vice President and the Senate President appear to stand firm: she, in defending her position—and he, in defending the Senate’s independence.
In an interview in The Hague before flying back to Manila on June 4, Duterte dismissed speculation that Escudero might be afraid of her.
"I do not know him to be the kind of politician who gets scared easily. So I really don’t understand where this idea of him being afraid of me is coming from," she said.
Her remarks came as discussions around the impeachment complaint filed against her continue to heat up, especially with growing scrutiny over the Senate's pace in handling the case.
Escudero, for his part, maintained that his decisions are not influenced by fear or pressure, emphasizing that both houses of Congress must respect each other’s independence.
"In all my years of public service, I’ve never acted or decided out of fear. Even Vice President Sara herself has said she doesn’t believe those claims," Escudero stated.
He also pointedly addressed concerns from the House of Representatives, some of whom have accused the Senate of dragging its feet.
"Some congressmen seem to expect the Senate to follow the Speaker’s lead. Well, if it’s their job to be subservient to Speaker Romualdez and push for this impeachment, that’s not our job in the Senate," Escudero said.
"We will do our duty based on what we believe is the right process, grounded in law and fairness."
Escudero further reminded that when the House took more than two months to act on the impeachment complaint before transmitting it to the Senate, the Senate remained silent out of respect.
"It’s in their own rules that the Secretary General should immediately forward the complaint to the Speaker. That didn’t happen for over two months. Did anyone hear us complain? No. We respected their process—and I hope the same courtesy is extended to us."
He also clarified misinformation about a supposed Senate resolution seeking to dismiss the impeachment complaint.
"There is no such resolution filed or pending in the Senate. Any document being circulated in the media without an author is nothing more than a scrap of paper. Unless it is formally filed, debated, and voted on, it holds no weight."
As the debate continues, both the Vice President and the Senate President appear to stand firm: she, in defending her position—and he, in defending the Senate’s independence.
Jun 4, 2025
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