Amid the limbo following the recent vote, Chiz Escudero made some explanations.
Senate President Chiz Escudero explains the decision of the Senate to return the impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives
After hours of deliberation, the Senate, which is currently acting as an impeachment court, sends back the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives. No senators abstained from the vote, and the result was 18-5.
In the motion filed by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, the articles returning to the House do not mean the case is being dismissed or concluded. The five senators who voted against this were Koko Pimentel, Risa Hontiveros, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Sherwin Gatchalian.
Those who were in favor were Senators Cayetano, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Bong Revilla, Imee Marcos, JV Ejercito, Bong Go, Loren Legarda, Robinhood Padilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Francis Tolentino, Joel Villanueva, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Cynthia Villar, Mark Villar, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Raffy Tulfo, and Chiz Escudero.
The Senate chief and impeachment court presiding officer explained this, and according to him, there was no intention to dismiss the case. To prove this, the impeachment court summoned Duterte to respond.
“The court therefore, having been organized and their articles of impeachment having been referred thereto, hereby, issues the Writ of Summons to Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte who is directed to file her answer within a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of the summons and the copy of the complaint, pursuant to Article 7 of the Impeachment Rules,” he said.
Senator Dela Rosa’s motion was initially not recognized, as it would be premature to dismiss the case without the Senate convening as an impeachment court first. He agreed to the amendment suggestion of Cayetano, which was to return the articles to the House until such time that:
- the House of the 20th Congress can communicate that it still wants to pursue the impeachment trial
- the House can certify its non-violation of the Constitution
Despite Escudero’s explanation that the move is not tantamount to dismissal of the case, Senator Risa Hontiveros believed otherwise. She expressed that the motion to dismiss or motion to remand are just the same, as per her words, “an effective termination of impeachment,” while “remand is functional dismissal.”
“Why can’t we just push through with the trial proper and discuss the issue there?” Gatchalian, one of those who voted against, asked.
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