Lawmakers at the House of Representatives questioned the timing of the recent leadership change at the Senate, fearing that the development may bar the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte from proceeding to a trial.

Members of the Makabayan bloc expressed their stark criticism over what they called as a “brazen manipulation” concerning the impeachment process, stating that the development was a “calculated political intervention” from allies of the Vice President.

“The immediate implications of the Senate leadership change are severe. With a majority now tilting toward the Duterte faction, the prospect of delay in convening the impeachment court has become real and alarming,” they said.

“And beyond delay lies the more dangerous scenario: an outright acquittal driven not by evidence and argument but by vote-counting and political arithmetic. Sara Duterte needs only nine votes to be acquitted. With the current Senate alignment, those nine votes are entirely within reach,” they added.

Makabayan further asserted that the sudden change was a depiction of the rotten system that obstructed accountability, stating that aside from the impeachment, senators who were implicated under the issue of the flood control scandal were also going to be protected.

Regardless of the development, the minority bloc stated that they would continue to push for the transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate and would urge the convening of an impeachment court as soon as possible.

“Whatever the outcome of the trial, the deeper struggle for genuine accountability–and for systemic change that removes the conditions that breed corruption and impunity–must continue beyond the Senate chamber,” they explained.

During the presentation of the House Committee on Justice’s accomplished committee report and House Resolution containing the impeachment articles, a leadership shakeup was carried out in the Senate.

With a vote of 13-9-2, senators voted to oust Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III in favor of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate President.

In a surprising twist, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was present at the plenary session after months of being absent due to unexplained reasons.

The appearance at hand, Akbayan Partylist Rep. Perci Cendana and Mamamayanag Liberal Leila de Lima shared their sentiments through posts on their respective social media profiles.

“Kaloka! Matagal na absent at hindi nagtrabaho. Pumasok lang para mamulitika at ipagtanggol si Sara. Because they cannot muster a strong defense for VP Sara, they choose to prevent the trial from convening,” Cendana’s post read.

(Crazy! Was absent for a long time and did not work. Only worked for politicking and to save Sara)

De Lima, on the other hand, shared a short message stating, “Ang tindi ng timing. Taumbayan ang huhusga.”

During his first address as Senate President, Cayetano noted that the impeachment of Duterte would proceed as prescribed under the Constitution.

“The impeachment will be much more than dismissing a complaint because of a political affiliation, and much more than convicting someone without evidence. We need to be guided by the truth,” he said.