MANILA — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said the Impeachment Court trying the case of Vice President Sara Duterte may consider designating an “Impeachment Manager” to help ensure the orderly flow of proceedings, alongside the election of a presiding officer.

Lacson said the proposed role would function as a “quarterback” of sorts, assisting the presiding officer in managing floor proceedings, similar to the role of a Senate Majority Leader.

“Titingnan namin kung pwede makapagtalaga rin kami ng isang Impeachment Manager. Yan ang pwede para mag-quarterback kung overwhelmed ang Presiding Officer, pero may nag-assist sa floor. Parang siya ang conductor sa floor, ika nga, parang majority leader (We are studying appointing an Impeachment Manager to quarterback the proceedings especially if the Presiding Officer is overwhelmed. The Impeachment Manager’s role would be similar to that of the Majority Leader),” he said in an interview on DZBB radio.

Lacson added that the majority bloc is considering Sen. Francis Escudero as presiding officer, while Sen. Francis Pangilinan is being eyed for the proposed role of Impeachment Manager. Both are lawyers, he noted.

However, he clarified that the election of the presiding officer will take place on July 6 when the Impeachment Court convenes for the trial.

“The Presiding Officer is just one vote, he can be overruled by (the other senator judges) on the floor,” Lacson said.

Lacson also raised concerns over what he described as a possible “absurdity” in the impeachment process if several senator-judges are prevented from participating due to suspension or detention orders, citing the case of Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who was preventively suspended by the Sandiganbayan.

He warned that if at least nine of the 24 senator-judges are unable to participate, the trial could be reduced to a mere formality.

“Yan na nga ang posibleng absurdity na mangyari, assuming na at least nine senator-judges ang ma-suspend. The trial will be a mere formality for acquittal. I’d rather leave it to the wisdom of the Court to come up with a practical necessity to intervene,” he said in a post on X.

“Ano ang saysay na impeachment trial kung 15 lang yung senator judges na present at pwedeng bumoto? Ano saysay? Sabi ko, formality na ang acquittal, bakit pa tayo mag-trial? So diyan dapat mag-intervene ng Korte Suprema (For what will the impeachment trial be for if only 15 senator judges can vote, and 16 votes are needed to convict? The trial could be reduced to a formality for acquittal. So the Supreme Court may need to intervene),” he added in the DZBB interview.

“Mas mainam nang sila na maginterpret yan. Dahil kung kami, maraming question, kasi pulitika yan. Samantalang ang Korte Suprema, they’re beyond politics (It is better that the Supreme Court interpret it. The Impeachment Court can have its own interpretation but many questions can be raised. But the high court is perceived to be beyond politics),” he said.