Following a rigorous deliberation on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, 19 senators voted “yes” to archive the impeachment complaint while four voted “no” favored tabling the motion and one abstained during Wednesday’s Senate plenary session.
In his privilege speech, Senator Rodante Marcoleta urged the Senate to dismiss the impeachment complaint against the vice president based on the Supreme Court’s unanimous en banc decision (13-0) declaring the complaint void ab initio (invalid from the start), in violation of the constitutional one-year bar rule, procedurally defective as not included in the House Order of Business, and outside the Senate’s jurisdiction since the complaint itself was unconstitutional.
“Ang impeachment complaint ay parang sinaing na niluto ng House of Representatives, hilaw, hilaw na hilaw,” Marcoleta said.
Marcoleta emphasized that the Supreme Court’s ruling is immediately executory.
However, Minority Leader Vicente Tito Sotto blocked Marcoleta’s proposal to dismiss by filing a motion.
“The Supreme Court decision, although immediately executory, is not yet final, thus appealable. Maraming nagtatanong, kung nakaapela, bakit tayo nagmamadali na i-dismiss ito sa atin,” Sotto said.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano supported the power of the Supreme Court and stressed that the Senate has to honor Supreme Court decisions, or it would create a perilous precedent, similar to the Commission on Appointments disregarding constitutional rules.
Cayetano also proposed amending Marcoleta’s motion, changing it from a “motion to dismiss” to a “motion to archive.”
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero called for a vote on the revised motion.
The senators who voted to “archive” are Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Robin Padilla, Mark Villar, Camille Villar, Imee Marcos, Lito Lapid, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito, Joel Villanueva, Migz Zubiri, Loren Legarda, Sherwin Gatchalian, Rodante Marcoleta, and Chiz Escudero.
Meanwhile, senators who voted to “table” are Tito Sotto, Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, and Bam Aquino, while Ping Lacson opted to abstain.
