‘Uphold neutrality in impeachment trial’

CEBU, Philippines — Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero emerged as the highest-rated senator-judge in the maiden Senator-Judge Scorecard of Pulso Intelligence, as he called on his fellow senator-judges to remain impartial and exercise “cold neutrality” in deciding the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Escudero, who presides over the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, posted an overall score of 2.92 out of 3.00 in the nationwide survey conducted August 15 to 16.

He topped all three dimensions measured by Pulso Intelligence, receiving 2.89 for trust, 2.95 for performance and 2.89 for fairness.

But amid his top ranking, Escudero has repeatedly reminded his fellow senator-judges, as well as the prosecution and defense, of the gravity of their role in the historic proceedings.

He earlier stressed that removing an elected official from office is “among the most drastic acts our constitutional democracy can undertake,” and urged everyone involved to approach the trial with prudence, caution and unquestionable impartiality.

Escudero also cautioned senator-judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers against making public comments on the merits of the case, emphasizing the need to observe the “cold neutrality of an impartial judge.”

Upon taking his oath as presiding officer, Escudero vowed to uphold the fairness and integrity of the proceedings and see the trial through to its proper conclusion “without fear or favor.”

The Pulso scorecard placed Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go second with 2.86, followed by Alan Peter Cayetano with 2.85, Bam Aquino with 2.82 and Robin Padilla with 2.81.

At the bottom of the rankings were Joel Villanueva at 2.44, Migz Zubiri at 2.48, JV Ejercito at 2.51, Tito Sotto at 2.56 and Erwin Tulfo at 2.56.

The survey also found that 49 percent of respondents leaned toward acquitting Duterte, while 34 percent favored a guilty verdict and 17 percent remained neutral.

Pulso Intelligence clarified that the ratings measure public perception of the senator-judges’ trust, fairness and performance and are not intended to predict the outcome of the impeachment trial.

The polling firm said it will release an updated Senator-Judge Scorecard weekly throughout the impeachment proceedings, based on a weighted sample of 1,500 Filipinos of legal age nationwide. — (FREEMAN)