Minority stalls Sara dismissal

The Senate minority has called to table the motion of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta to dismiss the impeachment proceedings of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“A tabling of the Motion to Dismiss by the Senate today would not be defiance of the Supreme Court. There is no final decision yet. Even the Supreme Court, they are still waiting comment of the VP,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a member of the minority bloc, said in her manifestation on Marcoleta's Motion to Dismiss.

Sen. Tito Sotto first requested the tabling of Marcoleta’s motion.

On Tuesday, the SC asked the VP and several lawyers to comment on the appeal filed by the House of Representatives against the High Court’s ruling that barred Duterte’s impeachment case.

Marcoleta repeatedly said that the Supreme Court magistrates would not reverse their 13-0-2 decision last 25 July, ruling that the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte were unconstitutional.

“That is why I will be seconding the motion of the minority leader to Table the motion to dismiss the impeachment complaint until the decision of the Supreme Court has attained finality,” according to Hontiveros.

The lady lawmaker said the Senate should exercise extraordinary prudence in the matters of transcendental importance.

“Still, I also wish to take this opportunity to express my thoughts at this crucial moment for our chamber,” Hontiveros said.

Dissolving the impeachment court

Meanwhile, Senator Raffy Tulfo said that as the SC ruled that the Senate of the 20^th Congress has no jurisdiction over Duterte’s impeachment case, he urged fellow lawmakers to dissolve the Impeachment Court.

“As we are not defying the decision of the Supreme Court, so may I propose that instead of dismissal, we just dissolve this impeachment court because in the first place, the Supreme Court said we don’t have jurisdiction over this Articles of Impeachment,” Tulfo said.

The House of Representatives on 4 August filed a Motion for Reconsideration asking the SC to revisit and correct its ruling that nullified the impeachment case against the Vice President.