The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will proceed as scheduled on 11 June, senators confirmed Sunday, as pressure mounts from various academics, civic rights, and religious groups urging the Senate to uphold its constitutional mandate. In a radio interview, Senator Win Gatchalian said the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte will be presented on Wednesday, which is also the last day of session of the 19th Congress.

“For me, there should be no uncertainty. This week, the impeachment court should be convened as agreed upon so that the impeachment can proceed,” Gatchalian said.

“I think it’s better for our country that this pushes through and ends early — hopefully it ends early — so we can return to the day-to-day functions of the Senate,” he added.

To recall, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero had moved the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment to 11 June, which was initially scheduled for 2 June, to “give way” for the passage of priority measures of the Marcos administration.

The presentation of the Articles of Impeachment marks the beginning of the impeachment proceedings in the Senate, which would then constitute itself as an impeachment court.

Gatchalian’s remarks also came after a draft resolution circulated last week, reportedly seeking to dismiss the impeachment complaint before it could be heard.

The senator, reportedly among 11 lawmakers aligned with Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero in pushing to reject the complaint, clarified that the resolution has not been officially filed.

“First of all, I didn’t sign any resolution to that effect, to be very clear about that. This resolution or the paper being circulated hasn’t even been formally filed in the Senate,” he said.

“For me, this is just the personal view of an individual senator. If we listen to the senators, they each have different opinions,” he added, referring to the draft released by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a known Duterte ally.

Senator Imee Marcos, also a Duterte ally, said that the resolution to dismiss the impeachment case was a “group effort,” stressing that the one that came out in the media was only one of the “multiple” resolutions authored by other senators with the same agenda.

Convene impeachment court

In a separate interview, Senator Francis Tolentino also urged the chamber to convene into an impeachment court.

“We should convene because we will formally receive the Articles of Impeachment. Convening is part of the trial itself; that’s the beginning — when you take an oath,” Tolentino said.

Tolentino earlier said that if the Senate did not conclude the trial against Duterte before June 30, the impeachment complaint would be considered “functionally dismissed.”

The terms of the senators and members of the House of Representatives who were elected in 2019 and 2022, respectively, will expire at noon on 30 June.

Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives on 5 Feb. 5, with 215 lawmakers — more than two-thirds of its members — voting in favor.

If convicted by the Senate, Duterte would be removed from office and barred from holding any future public position.

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 24 members.

In a related development, the deans of the schools and colleges of law of Ateneo de Manila University, Xavier University–Ateneo de Cagayan, Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and Ateneo de Naga University demanded the immediate commencement of the impeachment trial against Duterte.

“Our Constitution is clear and categorical: Once the Articles of Impeachment have been filed and transmitted by at least one-third of all the members of the House of Representatives, ‘trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed,’ without conditions or qualifications, and without equivocation or obstruction,” they added.

The deans also called for the continuation of the impeachment trial into the 20th Congress, which is also among the pressing questions that need to be answered.

“We are making this urgent call in faithful response to our moral and spiritual duty as educators and formators of future Ateneo lawyers,” the statement said.

The Philippine Bar Association, Philippine Political Science Association, San Beda University Graduate School of Law, Philippine Law School Faculty, De La Salle University Department of Political Science and Development Studies, and members of the University of the Philippines College of Law faculty issued a similar statement last week.

Other civic rights and religious groups such as the Ateneo Human Rights Center, the Union of People’s Lawyers–Mindanao, and Caritas Philippines also urged the Senate to heed the call for Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Several groups are also scheduled to flock outside the Senate from 9 to 11 June to urge senators to convene into an impeachment court and try Duterte.