President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. INQUIRER.net/Ryan Leaogo
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday reiterated that he is leaving the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to the Senate, but he is “watching” how Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero will ensure a peaceful transition from the current Congress to the next.
In an ambush interview, Marcos was asked for his thoughts as the Senate is set to convene as an impeachment court on Wednesday.
READ: Marcos says nothing he can do to stop impeachment complaint
“Well, this is really a function of the Senate right now. So, we leave it to them,” he said.
“It has moved already from the House. It has now been in the Senate for a few months. We are watching, of course, what the Senate President, Chiz Escudero, is doing to try to make it as peaceful a transition as possible from this Congress to the next,” he added.
He also saw no issue with the impeachment process carrying over from the 19th to the 20th Congress.
“It is very clear that it will. Because there is no way that even if they start the trial now, that they will finish it before the new senators come in. So, well, again, the senators will decide,” he said.
Escudero took his oath on Monday as the presiding officer of the impeachment court for Duterte’s impending trial.
READ: Escudero takes oath as presiding officer of Sara Duterte trial
Sen. Joel Villanueva, who made the motion, repeatedly clarified that despite this development, the Senate is “not yet convened as a court.”
Marcos previously said he would not interfere with the impeachment process.
Speaking in Episode 1 of the BBM Podcast on May 19, he said the ball is now in the Senate’s court and that it’s best to leave the matter in their hands.
“As for the impeachment, that’s already with the Senate. Let’s leave it to them. There’s a process for that. Let’s allow the process to take its course,” he said in Filipino.
In a press briefing on February 19, Marcos said there is nothing he can do to stop the process from taking its course.
“The Senate has no choice; the House has no choice. They have to do this now. Once the impeachment complaint was filed, tumakbo na ang proseso (the process starts),” he said./mcm