Chiz voids Imee contempt vs. envoy, cites due process violation

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

Escudero said the order lacked due process and was released without his required approval — a procedural rule under Senate guidelines. (File Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Friday urged Senator Imee Marcos to stop using the Senate for “personal political objectives” after she condemned his decision to block the arrest of a diplomat who allegedly lied during a probe into the apprehension of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Escudero voided an arrest and detention order issued by Marcos, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, against Special Envoy on Transnational Crime, Ambassador Markus Lacanilao.

Escudero said the order lacked due process and was released without his required approval — a procedural rule under Senate guidelines.

“I will not allow the Senate nor the Office of the Senate President to be used to further petty partisan interests, especially by those actively seeking reelection,” he said in a statement.

“The Senate is an institution of reason and rule; it is not a tool to be leveraged for propaganda or self-promotion.”

Escudero also ordered Lacanilao’s release, citing not only procedural irregularities but also humanitarian reasons, as the envoy was attending his grandfather’s wake.

The presidential sister, meanwhile, called Escudero’s decision “dangerous” and “disappointing,” accusing him of undermining the Senate’s authority.

“As expected, Senate President Chiz Escudero refused to sign the contempt order. Just like he refused to sign the subpoenas,” Marcos said in a statement on Thursday.

“This time, he went even further — he ordered Lacanilao’s release, in spite of the ambassador’s blatant and repeated lies before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.”

She said Lacanilao had been cited in contempt for giving false and misleading testimony during the ongoing investigation into Duterte’s arrest, including the alleged roles of international bodies, such as the International Criminal Court and Interpol.

She warned that Escudero’s actions would set a “terrible precedent” and questioned his judgment.

“The lies were so clear that I fail to comprehend why the Senate President, who is a lawyer, fails to see them,” she said.

Escudero, in turn, denied rejecting the contempt order outright, saying he had not even received a copy of it before it was circulated in the media.

He stressed that the Senate President’s approval is required precisely to prevent the misuse of contempt powers.

“No less than Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo has pointed out that stricter due process is needed when citing someone for contempt before Congress,” he said.

“Ambassador Lacanilao was ordered detained without the requisite approval and due process.”

To address due process concerns, Escudero issued a show cause order giving Lacanilao five days to explain why he should not be cited in contempt.

He said he would decide on Marcos’s request for detention only after a thorough review of the proceedings.

“The public we serve can rest assured that I will exercise my duty and discretion in accordance with the law, devoid of political agenda. I believe it is a dangerous precedent to allow senators to flout the Senate’s own rules for personal gain,” he said.