Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said senators in the 20th Congress will determine whether or not the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will push through.

With only six plenary sessions remaining before the 19th Congress adjourns on June 13, Escudero said the next Congress will be the one to handle the trial proper, if pursued, once it convenes a day after SONA or on July 29.

He explained that regardless of the decision of the 19th Congress regarding impeachment matters, it cannot bind the subsequent Congress. Meaning, the 20th Congress needs to decide again if it will reconvene as an impeachment court and proceed with the trial “either by an affirmative vote or by their silence and acquiescence.”

The 19th Congress can vote on it, but regardless of our decision, the 20th Congress cannot be bound. So the 20th Congress can have a different decision. For example, the 19th Congress can say that the impeachment trial will proceed, but the 20th Congress can say otherwise, so it depends, he added.

In the end, you have to understand that in Congress, plenary is supreme. It’s not the decision or the voice of one member even if he or she is the Senate President or an officer of the Senate or the House. The decision of the plenary will always prevail no matter what.

The 20th Congress will open on July 28, on the day of the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Five senators in the 20th Congress were endorsed by PDP-Laban, chaired by Sara’s father former president Rodrigo Duterte, during the 2025 midterm elections: Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Bong Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, and Camille Villar. They will join Senator Robin Padilla, who sits as the party’s president.

Other senators in the next Congress are either independent or are allied with other political parties.

Escudero urged incoming senator-judges, regardless of who they are affiliated with, to remain impartial regarding the impeachment.

They have their own decision and it’s not for me to judge. But it is stated in our rules that every senator-judge should be impartial as much as possible until the case has been heard. Even so, inhibition is a voluntary decision on the part of any judge. It is not voted upon by the members of the senator-judges themselves, he said.

Asked if the impeachment trial will proceed as scheduled on July 30, Escudero said that it should “in the ordinary course of events,” unless the senators decide otherwise.