House Speaker Martin Romualdez Reacts To Senate Decision over VP Sara Duterte’s Impeachment Case
Speaker Martin Romualdez stressed that the filing of complaint was not rushed, instead, it was allegedly the burial of the impeachment.
Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto could only ask God to have mercy on the decision of his colleagues after the Senate voted to archive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. The decision came with a 19-4 ruling among the senators.
Initially, the motion of Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Rodante Marcoleta was for the dismissal of the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Marcoleta, a known ally of the Duterte family, agreed to change his motion to the archiving of the impeachment case. Here’s the result of the voting.
YES
- Alan Peter Cayetano
- Pia Cayetano
- Ronald Dela Rosa
- JV Ejercito
- Francis Escudero
- Jinggoy Estrada
- Sherwin Gatchalian
- Bong Go
- Lito Lapid
- Loren Legarda
- Rodante Marcoleta
- Imee Marcos
- Robinhood Padilla
- Erwin Tulfo
- Raffy Tulfo
- Joel Villanueva
- Camille Villar
- Mark Villar
- Juan Miguel Zubiri
NO
- Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV
- Risa Hontiveros
- Francis Pangilinan
- Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
ABSTAIN
- Panfilo “Ping” Lacson
Several senators who were against the motion to dismiss or archive the impeachment case of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte cited the Motion for Reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives before the Supreme Court.
After the Supreme Court declared the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as “unconstitutional”, Speaker Martin Romualdez called on the House members to not “bow in silence” although they recognize the Supreme Court ruling.
Romualdez also stressed that the House of Representatives still has the “exclusive” duty to initiate impeachments. He previously claimed that the impeachment rap against the Vice President was not rushed and it followed the process.
Following the decision of the Senate to archive the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, House Speaker Martin Romualdez called it a “rushed burial”. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, he stressed that the decision of the Supreme Court is allegedly not yet final.
“Why the rush? To archive is, in effect, to bury the Articles of Impeachment. Yet the ruling of the Supreme Court is not final. On August 5, the House of Representatives filed a Motion for Reconsideration,” he said.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez also clarified that the filing of the impeachment rap against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was not rushed but what was allegedly rushed was its “burial”. Based on the report, the House Speaker believes that the Court found their arguments serious enough to require Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to submit a comment.
“The case is active. Let’s be clear: The filing of the complaint was not rushed. What was rushed—remarkably—was its burial,” he said.
One of those who voted “yes” to archive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was known Duterte ally Sen. Bong Go. During the Senate session, Sen. Bong Go called on his fellow senators to “move on”.