Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros warned on Wednesday that the senators of the 19th Congress risk setting a dangerous precedent if they fail to act on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“For me, it would be a great neglect of our responsibility — the senators of the 19th Congress — if we fail to do our job on this impeachment complaint,” Hontiveros said during a forum.

She stressed that while the Senate could still handle the preliminary stages of the impeachment process, failing to act now would prevent them from enforcing the rules during the actual impeachment trial.

“Time won’t be wasted because we can still handle the preliminaries, but we will no longer be able to enforce the rules of the impeachment trial because the Senate of the 20th Congress will be the one to implement it,” she added.

Hontiveros made these remarks after Senate President Francis Escudero reiterated that the upper chamber would address the impeachment complaint after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA) in July.

Hontiveros also supported Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel’s assertion that the Senate could convene an impeachment court even during a Congressional break.

“Based on what Senator Koko said and my own understanding of the Constitution and our internal rules on impeachment here in the Senate, I believe nothing is preventing us from addressing the articles of impeachment and constituting ourselves as an impeachment court,” Hontiveros said.

Pimentel had earlier urged the Senate leadership to begin the impeachment court proceedings as mandated by the 1987 Constitution. According to Hontiveros, the Senate’s role as an impeachment court is distinct from its legislative functions.

Although Hontiveros acknowledged that she has already formed an opinion about Vice President Duterte based on their past interactions and debates, she stressed her commitment to fairness should the impeachment trial proceed.

“I’ve formed an opinion about her as a public official, given the several important issues we’ve investigated or debated with the Vice President over the past years. So, it’s only natural that these will come into play in my mind and memory when the impeachment trial begins,” she said.

However, she added, “What I’m saying is that for the impeachment trial — just like any judge, justice, or jury member in other countries — the challenge is to approach everything as if it’s new and fresh. At least, there should be that effort.”

Hontiveros assured the public that she would maintain impartiality in the impeachment trial, despite their fiery exchange at last year’s Senate Committee on Finance hearing regarding the proposed 2025 budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

“I have always tried to be fair. I have always tried to be objective. And I have always tried to be respectful of the witnesses, even if they are the subject of the investigation. The same would be true if and when the impeachment trial gets underway,” she said.

Hontiveros and Duterte have clashed on several occasions, one of which was over the OVP’s request for a P10 million budget for a children’s book. Hontiveros questioned the allocation for “Isang Kaibigan,” a children’s book authored by Duterte, and which she intended to distribute to the public.

Instead of addressing Hontiveros’ questions directly, Duterte accused her of “politicizing” the budget hearing, a move that only added to their already tense relationship.