Senate receives Articles of Impeachment vs. VP Duterte

(UPDATED) On the last day of Congress, before it adjourns, the Senate received the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte from its counterpart, the House of Representatives.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco personally turned over the documents on Wednesday afternoon to his counterpart, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr.

Velasco was accompanied by House Sergeant-at-Arms retired police Maj. Gen. Napoleon Taas.

Earlier in the day, a total of 215 lawmakers, or more than two-thirds of the House of Representatives members supported the resolution to impeach Duterte.

Senator Joel Villanueva earlier said that for the Senate to act on an impeachment complaint, it has to be on the chamber’s daily agenda and be discussed in the plenary.

“Sige na, pagbibigyan ko kayo. Finile. Finile. Dinala. Nasa agenda ba ngayon? Wala. Wala. Ilalagay ba sa reference of business? O hindi?” he told reporters when asked whether the chamber can only convene the impeachment court if the impeachment complaint was referred to the plenary.

“Pag nalagay sa reference of business o hindi. Pag nalagay sa reference of business, another step, babasahin ba? Pag binasa ba? San dadalhin? Nirefer ba? San nirefer? Di ba ganun yung process?” he added.

For Duterte to be convicted, the Senate, which will act as the impeachment court, must secure two-thirds of the votes — or at least 16 out of the current 23 senators.

At the moment, Duterte has four known allies in the chamber such as Senators Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, Christopher “Bong” Go, Robin Padilla, and Imee Marcos.

The abovementioned senators would need to convince four more senators to obtain an acquittal.

Other senators who have strong ties with the Dutertes are Senators Cynthia Villar, and Mark Villar, who served as the Department of Public Works and Highways during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Cynthia, who is term-limited is running for representative of the lone district of Las Piñas. Her daughter, Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar is seeking to replace her in the Senate under the Marcos administration’s coalition slate.

Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano are also known allies of the Dutertes as the former served as the former president’s Foreign Affairs secretary.

In a previous interview, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada hinted at a possible “no” vote against the impeachment of Duterte.

Estrada noted that “impeachment will only sow divisiveness and distract us from the urgent issues we must collectively address.”

His half-brother, Senator JV Ejercito, echoed the same position, stressing that the impeachment move against the Vice President is “very divisive.”

“For me, personally, it’s very divisive because we know that impeachment is more political than legal,” Ejercito said in a chance interview in December.

“It’s hard to move forward if the top two officials are bickering because it does not give a good signal, especially in the international community, making it appear that there’s political instability in the country. We are already having a hard time inviting investors, and then there’s this political instability,” he added.

The two senators made the remarks at a time when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Duterte, his former running mate, engaged in a word war in November.

For his part, Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero assured the public of the Senate’s commitment to neutrality and its duty to uphold the law.

“The Senate stands ready to fulfill its constitutional mandate with integrity and impartiality while upholding the national interest,” Escudero said in a statement in December.

“As we navigate this critical juncture in our history, let us remain resolute in our commitment to justice, unity, and the welfare of the Filipino people,” he added.

One of the articles of the impeachment case against Duterte was the threat she made against the first couple — President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Also listed as part of the 24 articles of impeachment against Duterte was the alleged graft and corruption in relation to the P125 million in confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President in 2022.