Senate to vote on VP impeachment trial’s fate `at the right time’
The conflicting positions of senators on the fate of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte would be put to a vote in the plenary at the right time, Senate President Francis Escudero said on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines – The conflicting positions of senators on the fate of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte would be put to a vote in the plenary at the right time, Senate President Francis Escudero said on Tuesday.
READ: On the fate of the impeachment trial vs Sara Duterte in the 20th Congress
Escudero made the statement after a lengthy discussion on whether the impeachment trial against Duterte should push through transpired in the Senate plenary on Monday.
The 19th Congress adjourns on June 11.
Among those who stood in the plenary to make a manifestation was Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, who argued that the impeachment case against Duterte is “functionally dismissed” if the Senate fails to conclude the trial before June 30, 2025.
READ: Senators split over impeachment trial crossing into 20th Congress
He said this principle was affirmed by Jefferson’s Manual, which states that “unfinished business” does not carry over into a new Congress.
With this, Tolentino said if the present chamber fails to conclude the trial before June 30, the impeachment case against Duterte is “functionally dismissed by constitutional operation and no action can be taken by the 20th Congress on the matter for lack of constitutional authority.”
This, however, was opposed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who pointed out that while it is true that the 19th Congress cannot bind the 20th Congress, and all unfinished business will be terminated, she said this is only true for “any work done by us in the exercise of our legislative functions.”
Hontiveros emphasized that the 1987 Constitution demands that the Senate continue with the impeachment proceedings already initiated without further delay.
For his part, Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel said there is no provision in the 1987 Constitution that “expressly prohibits” the 20th Congress from continuing the impeachment proceedings which started in the previous Congress.
According to Pimentel, the Senate rules on impeachment particularly support the position that the impeachment trial shall continue until final judgment, even if it is necessary to continue into the next Congress.
But how can this clashing point of view be settled?
Escudero said anything that has to do with the Senate has to undergo a process.
“Lahat ng ginagawa namin kahit naman ung [State of the Nation Address] nakalagay sa Constitution ‘di ba? Pero nagmo-motion din yan: ‘I move that we adjourn so that we can hear and listen [to the] SONA of the President,’ di ba? Any objection, hearing none it’s approve. Lahat naman yan dumadaan sa proseso,” he said.
(Everything that we do, even Sona, it’s in the Constitution, right? There has to be someone who makes the motion: ‘I move that we adjourn so that we can hear and listen[to the SONA of the President,’ right? Any objection, hearing none, it’s approved. Everything goes through a process.)
Asked how the “process” would be taken into action, the Senate chief said it simply needed to be voted upon.
“It would be put into vote at the right time. It would be put into a vote. Kasi napag-usapan kahapon na may mga punto naman si Senator Tolentino, may mga punto naman si Senator Pimentel. Maalaala nyo. Tama nga naman na may opinyon na hindi ito tatawid, may basehan rin naman na ito ay tatawid. Kung may mag-mo-motion, pagbobotohan yan. Pag nag object pagbobotohan yan. Pag may nag motion, walang nag-object eh di tuloy-tuloy yun,” said Escudero.
(It would be put to a vote at the right time. It would be put to a vote. Because based on what was talked about, Senator Tolentino has a point. Senator Pimentel also has a point. You remember? There is an opinion that this would not cross, but there’s also a basis that it actually can. So if someone makes a motion, it has to be voted upon. If someone objects, it would still be voted upon. If someone makes a motion and nobody objects, then it would continue.)
Escudero earlier postponed the presentation of Articles of Impeachment against Duterte from June 2 to June 11.
He said the schedule change was made “to allow the Senate to tackle priority legislative measures before the 19th Congress adjourns.”
Despite this, he emphasized that while the Senate President may initially set the schedule, the plenary remains the supreme body that determines the course of proceedings and the direction the impeachment court will take.
