Vice President Sara Duterte spoke up in defense of Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, who is facing backlash for his failure to convene an impeachment court that would place the second highest public official on trial over allegations of corruption and other serious charges.
Speaking to reporters while visiting her detained father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, in the Netherlands, the Vice President dismissed observations that Escudero is ‘afraid’ of her, so he kept delaying the proceedings.
“He (Escudero) is not the kind of politician who gets scared. So, I don’t know where the statement that Senator Chiz Escudero is afraid is coming from,” VP Duterte said mostly in Tagalog.
Thoughts of a scared Escudero were floated earlier this week by Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña, who was commenting on the recent decisions made by the Senate President, which further delayed the impeachment process.
“Is he (Escudero) afraid of Sara? Convening the Senate as an impeachment court is a solemn constitutional duty, not a seasonal accessory you put on or discard, depending on the political weather or one’s personal agenda,” Cendaña said.
Escudero, however, dismissed this comment as ‘bait question.’
