MANILA  — Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero reiterated Thursday that the Senate cannot begin the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte during the recess in response to criticism from one framer of the 1987 Constitution that the Senate’s reasons are shallow.

Lawyer Christian Monsod, a former elections chief and former member of the Philippine Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution, said in a TV interview this week that reasons for the delay were “very shallow reasoning” against the issue of alleged corruption in confidential funds.

Escudero has repeatedly said an impeachment trial is not among the justifiable reasons to hold a special session and has said the constitution does not specify what “forthwith” in proceeding with an impeachment trial means.

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“Kung ang intensyon n’yo po ay ‘yan talaga e di sana sinulat niyo po sa Konstitusyon, pati ‘yong pag gamit ng salitang ‘forthwith’, sana ginamit niyo ‘immediately’. Hindi niyo naman po nagawa at ginawa ‘yon ,” Escudero said.

(If that was your intention, then you should have put that down in the Constitution. Even the use of the word ‘forthwith’, you should have used ‘immediately’. But you didn’t do that)

He previously said his proposed timeline for the impeachment trial is based on jurisprudence "which interprets 'forthwith' to mean 'within reasonable time, which may be a longer or shorter period, according to the circumstances of each particular case'."

Escudero said the Senate cannot now interpret “forthwith” based on what Monsod says.

“Tulad ng sinabi ko noon, hindi ako, at hindi ko papakinggan at hindi ako makikinig sa sinumang pabor o kontra dito sa impeachment, sinumang pabor o kontra kay VP Sara, titingnan namin ito dispassionately, fairly and with justice in our minds and with fairness in our minds ng walang kinikilingan,” he also said.

(As I said before, I will not listen to anyone in favor of or opposed to this impeachment, or anyone in favor of or opposed to VP Sara. We will look at this dispassionately, fairly and with justice in our minds, with no bias)

Diokno on Sara Duterte impeachment trial: 'Forthwith is agad-agad na gawin'

Escudero also refuted Monsod's claim that the trial can be started earlier with the rules of procedure possibly edited.

"Hindi pa ‘rin namin ‘to puwedeng gawin habang kami ay naka-recess. Alam niya ‘yon bilang abogado, alam niya ‘yon bilang isa sa mga nagsulat ng Saligang Batas," he said.

(We still cannot act while we are on recess. He knows that, being a lawyer. He knows that, being a framer of the Constitution.) — RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News