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The Senate will prevail: Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero on Monday, March 3, 2025, reiterates that it will be the decision of the Senate, in a plenary or as an impeachment court, that will prevail over the Supreme Court ruling on matters relating to the impeachment trial. Escudero said that as a general rule, the Senate should respect the decision of the Supreme Court, but in the end, it will be decided upon by the Senate. The Senate chief recalled that the House of Representatives proceeded to impeach then Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. in 2003 despite the temporary restraining order issued by the high court. The Senate, on the other hand, respected the order of the Supreme Court not to open the foreign currency deposit account during the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona. “The Senate, as the impeachment court, will still decide on that, or the Senate in plenary will decide on that matter. If you ask me, as a general rule, the Senate should respect and honor any decision of the Supreme Court. But in the end, that will be decided by the Senate,” Escudero said in a press briefing. The Senate chief maintained that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will not proceed during recess despite calls from some quarters to do otherwise. “It's not about clamor or pressure or raising voices. What the law says is what the law says unless the Supreme Court tells us otherwise in the mandamus petition that is currently pending. What the law says and what the Constitution and the Senate currently state as the sole trial of impeachment will prevail, and not just what the majority wants, even if it is against the law,” Escudero explained in Filipino. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)