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A partylist lawmaker on Friday called on the Senate to try and decide on the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon he does not think that there is an impediment in the impeachment of Vice President Duterte.

"It is a constitutional mandate on the part of the Senate to try and decide the impeachment,” Ridon said during the weekly The Agenda forum at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City.

The impeachment complaint stemmed from the alleged illegal use of P612.5-million confidential and intelligence funds in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.

“The right to make motions such as the motion to dismiss is not within the mandate of the Senate,” Ridon added.

Ridon said he would not dwell whether on “the forthwith” whether or six months such that on 4 August 2025 the Senat impeachment court will begin the impeachment trial of the Vice President.

He said he does not think that there had been a motion to dismiss during the previous impeachment proceedings in the history of the Senate impeachment court.

“There was nothing like that as far as the impeachment of Estrada [ormer President Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada] is concerned," Ridon said.

He cited the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned from her post even before the impeachment proceedings against her starts.

“The Senate impeachment court rules provide that there should be a full-blown trial,” Ridon said.

Ridon added that all the parties in the impeachment trial have the right to file a motion.

“Inasmuch as it is a political proceeding, it is also a legal proceeding,” Ridon said.

He stressed that it is not that there was no basis why the Vice President was impeached by the House of Representatives and is now standing impeachment trial before the Senate impeachment court.

Ridon cited the beneficiaries of confidential funds such as “Mary Grace Piattos, the threats on the lives of the President and the First Lady, which really are very strong allegations in the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Duterte.

He said that the use of the confifential funds should be aligned on intelligence-gathering, law enforcement and national security matters, but not on civilian purposes.

“Vice President Duterte should be tried and convicted. It is basically enough to convict the Vice President after a full-blown trial,” Ridon said.

During the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato, then a neophyte lawyer, Ridon noted that the Senators were not to convict the former chief justice as there were not enough numbers, but he was still impeached and removed from office.

He noted that the Senate and the House of Representatives are not static and they have their own respective way of performing their legislative duties and functions.

Ridon said that there were previous impeachment proceedings where the impeachable official resigned, but the implications and impact of such a resignation were still tackled and discussed by the parties in the case.

Ridon said that, if Vice President Duterte is acquitted, she should continue to perform the duties and functions as the second highest official of the land.

During the impeachment trial, the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Networth, the bank accounts, the deposits and withdrawals can be requested from the impeached official, but the Senate impeachment court can deny such a request.

On 5 February, the House of Representatives impeached the Vice President, with 215 lawmakers voting in favor to adopt the articles of impeachment against her.

She stands accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes over, among other things, the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she had concurrently headed. NEIL ALCOBER