Impeach complaints to be acted upon ‘with dispatch, forthwith’

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will act promptly on any impeachment complaint filed against President Marcos or Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said yesterday.

“One thing is certain: as Senate President, I will act on it with dispatch, forthwith,” Sotto told reporters when asked about the possibility of impeachment moves against the country’s leaders.

Sotto appeared to be making a reference to complications in last year’s impeachment proceedings against Duterte brought about by then Senate president Francis Escudero’s interpretation of the constitutional requirement to act “forthwith.”

Escudero’s interpretation, backed by the 19th Congress’ Senate majority, allowed the Senate to defer action due to timing and workload constraints – earning him criticism for weakening the mandate for immediate action.

He said if the Constitution meant for the Senate to act on the impeachment with urgency, the wording should have been “immediately.”

In an interview with The STAR’s “Truth on the Line” yesterday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the Senate is constitutionally bound to act on any impeachment complaint transmitted to it, stressing that impeachment proceedings do not presume guilt and are meant to uphold checks and balances in government.

“Personally, I believe impeachment is a constitutional responsibility of the Senate. And if an impeachment is transmitted to us, we have to act on it because that’s our constitutional mandate,” he said in Filipino.

“It doesn’t mean that if the Senate acts on impeachment, there is already a guilty verdict,” he added.