MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will put to a vote whether or not to proceed with Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial following the Supreme Court (SC) decision declaring the filing of the case unconstitutional.
Impeachment court spokesman Reginald Tongol said the Senate received the SC’s decision through e-mail on the night the decision was rendered.
He said the chamber would vote on whether or not to abide by the decision “as part of the usual deliberative process of any collegial body based on Senate Rules.”
Emphasizing that he would cast a “no” vote if the matter reaches the floor, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he wants the chamber to respect the SC’s ruling on the impeachment as challenging it could render rule of law “a casualty.”
“It’s good that we will put it to a vote so that our position on the matter is clear,” he told radio dzBB yesterday.
Lacson argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling had effectively rendered the Articles of Impeachment invalid, raising doubts over whether the Senate has jurisdiction to proceed.
He urged the Senate to act independently of any motion for reconsideration that may still be filed by the House of Representatives.
Lacson also criticized the manner in which the House handled the impeachment complaint, suggesting the process should have strictly followed constitutional requirements.
“Unsolicited as it is, let’s just strictly follow what is required by the Constitution,” he said, citing delays in referring the complaint to the House committee on justice.
“What happened was that it was archived. From the SC’s point of view, the delay was unsavory, as if it was deliberately delayed so that the one-year bar rule will not proceed,” he added.
Despite his opposition to proceeding with the trial, Lacson said issues involving the Vice President’s use of confidential funds could still be scrutinized during budget deliberations or through legislative inquiries.
Asked about his colleagues’ positions, Lacson said he has not spoken to them, but noted the public statements from some senators expressing support for the trial to continue.