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The Senate votes 19-4-1 in favor of the motion, following the Supreme Court ruling
MANILA, Philippines – The Senate on Wednesday, August 6, moved to archive the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, citing the Supreme Court (SC) decision halting her trial.
The motion, made by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, won by a vote of 19-4-1. Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto, among those who voted against the motion, said that archiving the articles of impeachment means the process is “dead.”
The other senators who opposed Marcoleta’s motion were Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros and senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan. Ahead of the the plenary vote, Sotto and the three senators signed a resolution urging the SC to review its decision and for the Senate to still proceed with the trial.
Senator Panfilo Lacson abstained, citing the motion for reconsideration (MR) filed by the House of Representatives through the Solicitor General before the High Court which, he said, meant that the July 25 ruling was not yet final.
Senators who supported the motion took turns explaining that their votes reflect their respect for the Supreme Court as the “final arbiter” of legal questions and respect for rule of law and due process.
From dismissal to archive
Marcoleta initially made a motion to dismiss the impeachment complaint altogether, saying this was to comply with the SC’s “immediately executory” ruling that the articles of impeachment against the Vice President are “unconstitutional.”
Sotto then made a motion to table the vote on Marcoleta’s motion, pending the final SC decision on the case. He cited the House MR as well as legal luminaries’ and various groups’ opinions that there were “clear and blatant errors” in the ruling.
Before the vote on Sotto’s motion, Marcoleta, upon the suggestion of some senators, agreed to amend his motion to an “archiving” of the articles of impeachment. This brought to mind the June 10 convening of the Senate into an impeachment court, when Senator Bato dela Rosa made the same motion but later agreed to amend his motion to a remanding of the articles of impeachment to the House, which put the trial in limbo.
Senator Migz Zubiri, who had suggested the use of “archiving” in the Marcoleta motion, said this means the Senate can still “pull out” the articles of impeachment later on. This however, would require the support of the majority.
During the hours-long session on Wednesday, Sotto tried but failed to get fellow senators’ support for his motion to table the vote on Marcoleta’s motion pending the final Court ruling on the impeachment complaint. In his statement explaining his vote for his own motion, Sotto said, “Once it is archived, it is dead,” referring to the articles of impeachment.
The others who supported Sotto’s motion were Hontiveros, Aquino, Lacson, and Pangilinan.
The Senate’s move was widely expected, following Escudero’s earlier statement that the upper chamber should comply with the High Court’s ruling. On July 25, the SC ruled that the impeachment case against the Vice President was unconstitutional, citing violations of due process.
The Senate made the decision without convening as an impeachment court, with Escudero noting that based on the SC ruling, the Senate had no jurisdiction over the case from the outset. – Rappler.com
