Escudero Halts De Lima: Trial By Publicity Rebuffed

Escudero Halts De Lima: Trial By Publicity Rebuffed

By Bing Jabadan | TheNATIONWEEK.com | July 31, 2026

MANILA — On the 10th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment proceedings, Senate Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero ordered House prosecutor Leila De Lima to stop mid-opening statement, acting on repeated defense objections that counsel was advancing conclusions of fact and law before any evidence had been formally presented.

De Lima had begun outlining the first article of impeachment: alleged systematic misuse, irregular liquidation, and misappropriation of confidential funds. Before she spoke, Escudero had explicitly reminded all parties that opening remarks are not the stage to advance findings or prejudge issues—those belong exclusively to the presentation of evidence.

Barely two minutes into her address, De Lima declared: “The evidence will reveal a pattern, a systemic course of conduct that, taken as a whole, demonstrates graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust.”

Defense counsel Michael Poa immediately objected, arguing such statements amounted to trial by publicity—claims that would reach the public regardless of the official record, and that properly belong only to closing arguments after proof is laid before the court. Escudero ordered the remark stricken from the record. When De Lima continued and further objections followed, the presiding officer halted her statement entirely.

Procedural friction has defined the trial from its outset. Earlier deliberations on the separate allegation of grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. drew similar pushback, when prosecution counsel delivered remarks more akin to a closing argument than preliminary framing. Escudero has repeatedly made clear the Senate impeachment court is bound by rules of evidence and fair play—not public messaging or political theater.

The incident carries added weight given De Lima’s own history. In February 2017, during the administration of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, she was arrested and detained for nearly seven years on drug-trafficking charges linked to her tenure as Justice Secretary. She maintained her innocence throughout, asserting the charges were fabricated in retaliation for her probe into the administration’s anti-drug campaign. She was released on bail in November 2023 after key prosecution witnesses recanted their testimonies, and was eventually fully cleared of all allegations.

This interruption lays bare the core tension running through the proceedings: whether the outcome will be determined by verified evidence and due process, or by narratives shaped in the court of public opinion before any official finding is ever entered.

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