Escudero hopes Sara Duterte impeachment trial over before Christmas

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Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero expressed hope Tuesday that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will be finished before Christmas or New Year.

Escudero, however, clarified that the impeachment court is not following any timeline and could not say exactly when the trial would end as it would depend on the evidence presented by the defense and the flow of the hearings.

“Sa akin mismo, kung ako ang tatanungin syempre in a perfect world, sana matapos ang impeachment sinuman ang matalo o manalo bago mag-Pasko, bago mag-New Year para may bago tayong yugto na namang haharapin sa bagong taon, hindi ‘yung babalikan na naman natin ito sa darating na bagong taon ng 2027,” he said in an ambush interview.

(Personally, if you ask me, in a perfect world, I would hope that the impeachment concludes before Christmas or the New Year, regardless of who wins or loses. This way, we can face a new chapter in the coming year, rather than having to revisit this same issue when 2027 comes.)

“Whichever side prevails, sana ito ay malampasan at matapos natin ngayong taong ito para may bagong mga hamon at problema na naman tayong haharapin sa darating na taon,” he added.

(Whichever side prevails, I hope we can move past this and bring it to a close within this year, so that we may face new challenges and problems in the year ahead.)

The defense is currently presenting evidence and witnesses for Article II of the impeachment case against Duterte alleging her unexplained wealth due to supposed failure to truthfully disclose assets in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and failure to divest in businesses as required for the President and Vice President under a Constitutional provision.

The prosecution previously dropped three out of the four Articles of Impeachment leveled against the Vice President, saying its case would stand on Article II alone.

The withdrawn impeachment articles were: Article I on confidential funds; Article III on bribery; and Article IV on assassination plot, grave threats, and inciting to sedition against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker and incumbent Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez. —VAL, GMA News