Articles of Impeachment vs. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte declared “Unconstitutional” by Supreme Court
SARA DUTERTE – The camp of the Vice President broke their silence on the decision of the Supreme Court over the Articles of Impeachment.
Before the day ended in the 25th of July, the Supreme Court released its decision declaring the Articles of Impeachment versus Vice Pres. Duterte “unconstitutional”. The high Court stated that the Articles of Impeachment is “barred by the one-year rule”.
Four (3) impeachment complaints were filed against Duterte in 2024. The fourth impeachment complaint was the one submitted to the Senate. Shortly after the senators took their oath as senator judges of the impeachment court, the Senate ruled to return the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives.
The remand of Duterte’s impeachment includes queries about the constitutionality of the impeachment complaint against the Vice President. The Senate impeachment court also sought a reconfirmation from the 20th Congress.
Eighteen (18) senator judges voted in favor of the motion to remand the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives. Five (5) senator judges were against the motion.
YES
- Alan Peter Cayetano
- Pia Cayetano
- Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa
- JV Ejercito
- Chiz Escudero
- Jinggoy Estrada
- Bong Go
- Lito Lapid
- Loren Legarda
- Imee Marcos
- Robin Padilla
- Bong Revilla
- Francis Tolentino
- Raffy Tulfo
- Joel Villanueva
- Cynthia Villar
- Mark Villar
- Juan Miguel Zubiri
NO
- Koko Pimentel
- Risa Hontiveros
- Sherwin Gatchalian
- Grace Poe
- Nancy Binay
Several senators and former senators including Senator Risa Hontiveros and former Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel argued that there is no concept of return in the Constitution. Former senators also claimed that senator judges must only seek clarifications and not introduce motions.
Despite the claim of several lawmakers, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero claimed that the Senate impeachment court can decide over anything. He also claimed that the impeachment case can be dismissed even without a trial.
Recently, following the decision of the Supreme Court declaring the Articles of Impeachment against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte “unconstitutional”, the camp of the Vice President broke their silence. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Atty. Michael Poa, the spokesman of Duterte’s defense team, said the decision “upheld the rule of law”.
“This unanimous decision has once again upheld the rule of law and reinforced the constitutional limits against abuse of the impeachment process,” he said.
Based on the report, the spokesperson of the defense team of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte maintained that they remain “prepared to address the allegations at the proper time and before the appropriate forum”.
Previously, Atty. Ruth Castelo, the spokesperson of the OVP, claimed that the government will allegedly be able to save millions of money if the Supreme Court dismisses the impeachment complaint against Duterte.