Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday said the upper chamber will take action on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte vis-à-vis the Supreme Court ruling on petitions filed in connection with moves to remove her from office on 6 August.
Escudero clarified that the Senate has not scrapped the impeachment proceedings against Duterte, countering earlier reports, and announced that the upper chamber will vote on how to proceed in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling declaring the complaint unconstitutional.
On Tuesday, the 24-member Senate held a caucus during which the senators agreed to take up the matter next week, following the High Court’s decision that declared the impeachment case unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar provision of the Constitution.
“The Senate decides everything as a collegial body. Someone will make a motion and if someone objects, we put it to a vote. So we’ll put this to a debate and vote on 6 August on what to do with the impeachment in light of the Supreme Court decision,” Escudero said.
The Supreme Court recently ruled unanimously to void the impeachment complaint filed earlier this year against Duterte, citing a violation of the Constitution’s one-year bar on multiple impeachment attempts.
The High Court’s ruling, spanning 97 pages excluding concurring opinions, is immediately executory.
Escudero emphasized the need for senators, who will serve as judges in the event of an impeachment trial, to thoroughly study the decision.
“‘Yung desisyon mismo (that) 97 pages, excluding ‘yung concurring opinions of the other members of the Supreme Court at hindi naman po lahat ay nag-aral ng abogasiya kaya kung kinakailangan, mabigyan ng konting panahon pa (not all of us are lawyers, so we need a bit more time to read and understand the ruling),” he noted, adding that even he, a seasoned lawyer, was still reviewing the judgment and its implications.
“Ako nga humihingi rin ako ng konting panahon pa sa aking mga kasamahan kaugnay ng pagbabasa at pag-unawa dun sa desisyon bago namin igawad ang aming pagpapasya kaugnay nito (Even I am asking for a little more time from my colleagues to read and understand the decision before we render our judgment regarding it),” Escudero continued.
The Senate President explained that a decision must be made by the upper chamber soon because the Supreme Court ruling is immediately executory.
While the House of Representatives has not yet filed a motion for reconsideration, Escudero pointed out that waiting indefinitely could stall the Senate's responsibility.
Assuming that the House of Representatives will file a motion for reconsideration before the Supreme Court, he said there is no way of knowing when a ruling will come out.
There is also the fact that the ruling of the Supreme Court en banc was unanimous and, based on experience, he added, the possibility of reversing the original decision is unlikely.
“Pwede rin namang hintayin na mag-file muna ‘yung House of Representatives ng motion for reconsideration. Pero hindi pa maliwanag ‘yun. Baka mag-antay kami sa wala. At kung hinihintayin namin ‘yun, kailan na naman magpapasa ang Korte Suprema? In the meantime, anong gagawin namin? Held in abeyance? Postponed muna? (We could also wait for the House of Representatives to file a motion for reconsideration. But that’s not clear yet. We might end up waiting for nothing. And if we’re waiting for that, when will the Supreme Court issue another ruling? In the meantime, what are we supposed to do? Hold it in abeyance? Postpone it for now?),” he asked.
“We don’t even know if the House will file a motion, and even if they do, we don’t know how long the Supreme Court will take to resolve it. Are we going to hold everything in abeyance?” he asked.
He also warned against politicizing the process, saying, "We cannot decide based on the mere whim of partisan people who have already taken a position either for or against.”
Escudero reiterated his commitment to a fair and principled process, asserting that the Senate would not act under pressure but would instead rely on sound legal reasoning and institutional integrity.
“I said this at the beginning of the impeachment when it was filed last 5 February — I will not listen to those in favor of VP Sara and against the impeachment, nor to those against VP Sara and in favor of the impeachment. I will not be cowed nor bullied by these people into acting one way or the other. We will do what we think is right,” Escudero stressed.
The impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte, originally filed on 5 February, stems from alleged abuse of power and questions about her role in various government programs. With the Supreme Court ruling throwing its constitutionality into question, the Senate’s decision next week is expected to be pivotal in determining whether the process continues or is officially laid to rest.