Senate resets VP Sara impeachment presentation

Senate resets VP Sara impeachment presentation | Daily Tribune

The Senate has postponed the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero announced Thursday.

According to Escudero, the presentation — scheduled on 2 June — was moved to 11 June to allow the Senate to tackle priority legislative measures before the 19th Congress adjourns.

In a letter to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Escudero said, “With only six session days before the sine die adjournment, it is imperative for the Senate and the House of Representatives to prioritize the passage of these measures, consistent with the administration’s thrust to align our government with the people’s needs and expectations.”

The letter dated 29 May was also transmitted to the Office of Vice President Duterte, who is back in The Hague, Netherlands, along with her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, and Senator Imee Marcos.

They are visiting former president Rodrigo Duterte who is detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Detention Center in The Hague on a crimes against humanity charge.

Escudero said the postponement of the presentation was discussed with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Romualdez during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting earlier on Thursday.

Some of the priority measures are the Anti-POGO Act, Denatured Alcohol Tax, Judicial Fiscal Autonomy, Setting the Term of Office of Barangay Officials and Members of the Sangguniang Kabataan, and Amendments to the Right-of-Way Act.

Other priority measures are the Amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease Act, E-Governance Act, Open Access in Data Transmission (Konektadong Pinoy Act), Rationalization of the Fiscal Mining Regime, Amendments to the Universal Health Care Act, Virology Institute of the Philippines, and the Government Optimization Act.

Escudero said that apart from the approval of bills, the Senate also needs to act on over 200 presidential appointments, including three Cabinet secretaries, four officials of constitutional commissions, 39 foreign service officers, and 277 officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Once presented in plenary, the Senate can constitute itself as an impeachment court and conduct the trial of the Vice President.

Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives on 5 February, with a total of 215 lawmakers -- or more than two-thirds of the members -- supporting the motion.

Her conviction, which would remove her from office and bar her from holding future public positions, is currently pending in the Senate.

For Duterte to be convicted, the Senate, which will act as the impeachment court, must secure two-thirds of the votes – or at least of 16 of the 24 members.