Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court, has ruled that 16 votes—in a chamber of 24—are needed to convict and remove Vice President Sara Duterte, regardless of whether some senators are detained, in hiding, sick, or otherwise unable to participate in the proceedings. His position appears to be anchored on…
The en banc resolution of the Supreme Court in Torreon v. House committee on justice (Aug. 5, 2026) dismissing the petitions challenging Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment by the House of Representatives is a turning point in this political-legal saga. Though the ground relied upon is mootness, it could also be a signal that this…
The “four truths” on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte I wrote about last Monday elicited a lot of comments. Thus, I will revisit the first truth—”judicial truth.” Apropos is the wisdom of the late United States Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, who observed that “[t]he very nature of a trial [is] a…
The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte featured a barrage of debates on the search for truth. Though the lawyers sparred with surprising calmness, the viewing public grappled with legalese unfamiliar to many. Let us, therefore, cut through the legal brouhaha and distill these exchanges into one question: What is the truth in the…
I was humbly invited to join President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, Meralco chair and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP), and other VIPs in inaugurating the Meralco Terra Solar (MTerra) last July 14. Amid the backdrop of solar panels stretching across the hills and plains of Gapan City, Nueva Ecija, I…