Metro Manila, Philippines – The Senate will not delay actions on the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said in a bid to douse speculations that the abrupt leadership change was related to the ouster case.
In a chance interview on Tuesday, May 12, Cayetano said the Senate will act “forthwith” when asked if the Impeachment Court will be convened once the chamber receives the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives.
“I also consulted Senator Sotto. Sabi niya, process, ibigay muna sa committee on rules. [He told me the process, to give it to the committee on rules] So, we will do what has to be done and there won’t be delays,” he said, referring to his predecessor who had vowed to convene the court immediately.
“The country needs us in other capacities. So the longer this drags out, the more yung attention namin nandiyan [the more we give attention to it.] But it’s such an important accountability process so we will give it full attention,” Cayetano added.
He said he will organize a caucus with senators to discuss the impeachment.
Sen. Robin Padilla, a known Duterte ally, also denied that the ouster of Sotto was related to the impeachment trial.
“Wala kaming dapat ikatakot sa impeachment. Dahil yung impeachment, yan ay nakasaad sa Konstitusyon yan. Hindi natin ‘yan pwedeng katakutan. ‘Yan ay dapat naming sundin. Malinaw yan sa Saligang Batas,” he told reporters.
[Translation: We have nothing to fear from impeachment because impeachment is provided for in the Constitution. We should not be afraid of it. It is something we are bound to follow. That is clearly stated in the Constitution.]
Calls for trial
Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, senior deputy minority leader and impeachment complaint endorser, said she can’t help but suspect that the coup had something to do with Duterte’s impeachment.
A total of 257 lawmakers impeached Duterte over allegations of corruption, unexplained wealth, and threats to the presidential family. The Senate elected a new leader on the same day.
De Lima pointed out that many of the 13-member majority bloc at the upper chamber are Duterte allies.
“Ano ba ang balak nila, ng bagong majority sa proseso ng impeachment? Ito ba ay pagugulungin nang mabilis at nang maayos or meron ba silang plano? Because let us note na karamihan ng 13 ngayon ay pro Duterte,” she said.
[Translation: What is their plan, the new majority, regarding the impeachment process? Will it be pushed through quickly and properly, or do they have a different agenda? Because let us note that most of the 13 now are pro-Duterte.]
Meanwhile, former law dean and Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno, one of the impeachment prosecutors, said the Senate has no choice but to try the case once it receives the Articles of Impeachment.
“The Constitution says conduct the trial. It does not give an option to the Senate to dismiss the case outright,” he said.
Other law deans and lawyers – which includes constitutional framer Adolfo Azcuna – also issued a statement, reminding senators that convening the Impeachment Court is not a constitutional option.
They also denounced the sudden Senate coup.
“We, the undersigned law deans and law professors, wish to decry the brazen attempts of members of the Senate to forestall the impeachment trial of the Vice-President, first, by voting for a change of leadership on the eve of the transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, and, second, apparently deciding to adopt the ‘Escudero definition’ of ‘forthwith,’” he said.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, another trial prosecutor, said the fate of the impeachment case may be different this time.
“Nakita rin nila ‘yung naging epekto kung paano ang taumbayan at ‘di sumang-ayon sa desisyon ni dating Senate President Chiz Escudero sa kanyang interpretation sa forthwith. So naniniwala tayo na mas magiging sensitive po ang kasalukuyang miyembro ng Senado considering 2028 is just around the corner,” he said.
[Translation: They also saw the public’s reaction and how people disagreed with former Senate President Francis Escudero and his interpretation of “forthwith.” So we believe that the current members of the Senate will be more sensitive, considering that 2028 is just around the corner.]
In 2025, the Senate did not proceed to trial after the Supreme Court declared Duterte’s first impeachment as unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule.
