VERA Files
A YouTube video claims that newly-elected Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has been impeached. This is not true. Escudero remains in his post and a senator is not an impeachable official.
Uploaded on May 26, barely a week after Escudero took the Senate helm, the video bore the following as its headline and superimposed text:
“KAKALABAS LANG! KAKAUPO LANG IMP33CH AGAD!? ESCUDERO WALANG NAGAWA! NAG WALA SA SENADO!
(Just in. Just elected but impeached already!? Escudero was unable to do anything! Gone wild in the Senate)!”
Senators are not impeachable officials. Under Article XI of the 1987 Constitution, only the president, vice president, Supreme Court justices, members of Constitutional Commissions and the Ombudsman may be removed from office through impeachment.
Expulsion is the mode by which a senator is removed from office, which needs a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
Meanwhile, the Senate president can be replaced through a majority vote among the senators themselves. There is no move to oust Escudero as Senate head nor expel him as a senator.
The video showed no proof to support its claim but only featured clips from a recent Senate probe into the identity of controversial Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. It emerged days after Escudero said that the burden of proof lies upon those who are accusing Guo of not being a Filipino and taking part in criminal activities.
Uploaded by YouTube channel SAGAM TV (created Aug. 10, 2021) with 192,000 subscribers, the erroneous video drew a total of 35,456 interactions. Facebook users also reposted the link.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
