Senate Pres. Tito Sotto Explains Decision To Support Charter Change
TITO SOTTO – The Senate President admitted that he is ready to support the Charter Change following the Supreme Court ruling on Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case.
In 2025, the Supreme Court declared the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as “unconstitutional”. According to the high court, the impeachment rap against the Vice President violated the one-year ban rule.
According to the Supreme Court, another impeachment complaint may only be filed against the Vice President after the ban expires on February 6, 2026. Following the decision of the high court, the Senate voted 19-4-1 on the motion to archive the impeachment case against Duterte.
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
According to then-Minority Sen. Ping Lacson, he and then-Senate minority leader Tito Sotto will revive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte if the SC changes its ruling. The Senate earned massive criticisms for not starting the impeachment trial right away.
A lot of people including some law experts and former senators stressed that impeachment trials should allegedly be started “forthwith”. Then-Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero earned countless criticisms and was accused of supposedly shielding Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
The SC ruling was welcomed by Duterte’s camp. The Vice President remains surrounded by questions over her alleged misuse of the P625-million confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her stint.
Recently, Senate Pres. Tito Sotto confirmed that he will support the Charter Change following the decision of the Supreme Court ruling the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte in 2025 as unconstitutional. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, he affirmed that he may not push for it but he will support it.
“I will not push. I will support. I will support a cha-cha at this point. Dati ayokong ayoko yan. Ang gusto ko cha-cha character change eh,” Sotto said.
Senate Pres. Tito Sotto claimed that the Supreme Court allegedly revised the 1987 Philippine Constitution through its decision and he wants to fix it through amending the Constitution. Based on the report, he called that the SC’s previously ruling is “disappointing”.
“Kung ang Supreme Court puwedeng galawin ang Constitution, aba’y dapat galawin na namin sapagkat kami ang empowered to do so,” the Senate President said.
Senate Pres. Tito Sotto clarified that his stand to support Cha-Cha has supposedly nothing to do with who is involved in the impeachment case. According to him, he wants amendments on the Constitution for how the decision has affected the charter.
Currently, two (2) impeachment complaints were filed against Pres. Bongbong Marcos and they have been referred to the House Committee on Justice already. Presidential son and Ilocos Norte Congressman Sandro Marcos recuses to participate in the House process of the impeachment complaints against his father.