Senate Minority Leader Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel III and Senate President Francis 鈥淐hiz鈥� Escudero 鈥敽诹仙� file photos
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Senate President Francis 鈥淐hiz鈥� Escudero openly welcomed on Monday the proposal for Senate Minority Leader Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel III to help draft the proposed rules on the impeachment proceedings against Vice President聽Sara聽Duterte.
In a text message to reporters, the Senate chief even thanked the minority leader for his willingness to take such an action.
鈥淚 welcome and thank Sen. Pimentel鈥檚 offer to help draft the proposed rules. I will instruct the legal team to coordinate with him on this matter,鈥� said Escudero.
Pimentel earlier expressed his willingness to lead the drafting of impeachment rules through a special subcommittee as recommended by Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino.
鈥淲alang problema. Five lang kami abogado sa Senate ngayon so baka wala ng ibang choice. Hintay muna ako sa official assignment. Then discuss ko sa staff ko. Pero just like Sen. Tolentino, I am also a candidate but I am willing to devote time to our duty,鈥� said Pimentel then.
(There鈥檚 no problem with that. There are only five lawyers in the Senate, so I guess there鈥檚 really no choice. I will wait for the official assignment, and then I will discuss it with my staff. But just like Sen. Tolentino, I am also a candidate, but I am willing to devote time to our duty.)
READ: Escudero bares proposed calendar of Sara Duterte impeachment trial
But while Escudero is open to allowing Pimentel to draft the rules, he still maintained that these are mere proposals that need to be approved in plenary by the impeachment court once Congress鈥� sessions resume.
Below is the proposed timeline of the impeachment proceedings against Duterte as previously announced by the Senate chief:
- June 2 鈥� Resumption of session and presentation of articles of impeachment
- June 3 鈥� Convening of impeachment court and oathtaking of incumbent senator-judges
- June 4 鈥� Issuance of summons
- June 14 to 24 鈥� Reception of pleadings
- June 24 to July 25 鈥� Pre-trial
- July 28 鈥� Inaugural session of the Senate of the 20th Congress
- July 29 鈥� Oathtaking of newly-elected senator-judges before sitting as an impeachment court
- July 30 鈥� Start of trial