Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian Speaks on Ways To Pull Out Archived Impeachment Case of VP Sara Duterte
SHERWIN GATCHALIAN – The Senator expressed that with a vote of only five (5) senators, the archived impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte can already be revived.
The Senate archived the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto could only pray for “God to have mercy” on the decision of the senators to archive Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment case. He attempted to table Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Rodante Marcoleta’s motion to dismiss the impeachment case.
However, only five (5) senators voted for the motion of the Senate Minority Leader. He stressed that the House of Representatives and some complainants have filed a motion for reconsideration before the Supreme Court. Some senators and the House urged the Senate to exercise “prudence and patience” and wait for the final ruling of the court.
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Rodante Marcoleta agreed to change his motion — from the dismissal of the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to the archiving of the impeachment rap.
The voting on Marcoleta’s motion yielded a 19-4-1 result. Sen. Ping Lacson was the lone senator who 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
While the Supreme Court has yet to release its decision on the motion for reconsiderations filed by the House of Representatives and some complainants, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian spoke on the ways to remove the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte from the Senate archives.
According to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, a vote of five (5) senators can already pull out the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte from the Senate archives. He stressed that he reviewed the rules of the Senate before he voted on the motion to archive the impeachment case against Duterte.
“Under our rules, with a vote of five senators, the impeachment can be brought back and placed in the order of business. So that could be the mechanism,” he said.
Amid the senators waiting for the final ruling of the Supreme Court, based on a report on Inquirer, Sen. Ping Lacson and Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto already confirmed that they will move for the pulling out of Duterte’s impeachment case if the high court changes its ruling.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian who was also one of the senators who opposed the return of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment case to the House of Representatives claimed there is another method to revive the impeachment case. According to him, the chamber can suspend the Senate rules by a majority vote.
“The other mode is by a vote of majority, we can suspend the rules. And then when we suspend the rules, we can vote to bring back the articles of impeachment and put it back to the order of business. So there are two modes to approach that,” the Senator said.
Previously, the Chief Executive broke his silence on the ruling of the high court. According to Pres. Bongbong Marcos, the decision of the Supreme Court on the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte has “no bearing on the merits” of the case