Sen. Ping Lacson Speaks on Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Impeachment Case
PING LACSON – The Senator said he and Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto will revive the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte if the Supreme Court changes its ruling.
The Senate voted to archive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte with a 19-4-1 voting. The motion was a changed motion introduced by Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Rodante Marcoleta who initially wanted a dismissal of the impeachment case against the Vice President.
Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto filed a motion to table the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman’s motion. However, it failed after only five (5) senators voted for it. Marcoleta agreed to change his motion to the archiving of the impeachment case pending a Motion for Reconsideration filed by the complainants before the Supreme Court.
Most senators cited obedience to the ruling of the Supreme Court which declared the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as “unconstitutional” in their vote to the motion. According to the high court, the impeachment complaint against the Vice President allegedly did not follow the one-year rule.
Nineteen (19) senators voted in favor of Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Rodante Marcoleta’s motion to archive the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte while only (5) senators opposed it. One senator, Sen. Ping Lacson, abstained from making a vote.
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
The House of Representatives and some complainants against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte have filed MRs before the Supreme Court. Recently, Sen. Ping Lacson claimed that he and Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto will revive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte if the Supreme Court will change its ruling.
“Hypothetically, if the SC decision is reversed, I and Senator Sotto will move to pull out the case from the archives and discuss it,” Lacson told dzBB in an interview.
Furthermore, based on a report on Inquirer, Sen. Ping Lacson also said that if someone will object the reviving of the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, he will recall the explanation of his colleagues in the Senate during their voting on the motion to archive the impeachment case.
“If someone objects and we lose in the voting, I will recall their explanation in archiving the impeachment, during the 19-4-1 voting. I’m hoping against hope they will respect the final ruling of the Supreme Court addressing the motion for reconsideration,” Lacson said.
Based on the report, Sen. Ping Lacson said if the Supreme Court reverses its ruling on the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and his fellow senators stick to their vote, he will remind them that in their vote to archive the complaint, they stressed respect for the decision of the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Sen. Ping Lacson maintained that the majority vote will win as it is “the essence of democracy”. According to him, his previous vote to abstain from the voting was not to “play safe” but out of respect for the high court.
Previously, despite voting for the archiving of the impeachment case, Sen. Robin Padilla admitted he wants the dismissal of the case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. He is one of the members of the Duterte bloc in the upper chamber.