Photo courtesy of Senator Win Gatchalian/Facebook.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Thursday the choice of presiding officer for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial remained unresolved.
Gatchalian said senators still had to discuss whether Sen. Chiz Escudero would preside over the proceedings.
He said that under the Senate impeachment rules, the Senate president presides over impeachment cases unless the chamber decides otherwise.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson earlier said the majority bloc had reached a consensus to elect Escudero as presiding officer once the Senate convenes again as an impeachment court, although he acknowledged the plan could still change.
Gatchalian said that pending further talks among senators, he remained the presiding officer under the existing rules.
The rules provide that the Senate president presides over impeachment cases, except when the president of the Philippines is the one on trial.
The option to elect another senator as presiding officer was introduced through amendments approved during the June 3 session attended by 12 senators.
That session is being challenged before the Supreme Court by nine senators led by Alan Peter Cayetano, who argued that at least 13 senators were needed to conduct business. Gatchalian maintained that the Senate had a quorum based on past precedents and said work would continue because no temporary restraining order had been issued.
