Senate Won’t Convene Impeachment Court for VP Duterte After Supreme Court Ruling
MANILA, Philippines – senate President Francis Escudero confirmed Tuesday that the Senate has no intention of convening as an impeachment court to try Vice President Sara Duterte, following a decisive Supreme court ruling that effectively halts any impeachment proceedings against her.
the supreme Court declared the articles of impeachment against the Vice President invalid, citing a constitutional violation by the House of Representatives. Specifically, the court found that the House breached the one-year bar rule in filing its impeachment complaint, placing the case outside the Senate’s jurisdiction.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling is final and immediately executory,” Escudero stated at a press briefing. He emphasized the importance of adhering to the rule of law, warning that ignoring the Court’s order coudl lead to a constitutional crisis. “Weather we like the Supreme Court’s decision or not, we might be called a banana republic (if we do not follow it).”
The Senate officially received the Supreme Court’s ruling via email on July 25.
While the Senate will not proceed with an impeachment trial, Escudero clarified that the matter will still be a topic of discussion among senators in their capacity as a legislative body. A caucus is scheduled to deliberate on how to proceed within the established framework of Senate rules.
“it is part of the process observed under Senate rules,” Escudero explained. “The senators will deliberate on whether to heed the Supreme Court’s directive.”
He drew a parallel to a past precedent, recalling the 2012 impeachment trial of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona. During that trial,the Senate,through a caucus vote of 13-10,chose to respect a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme court concerning Corona’s bank records.”That was the precedent,” Escudero noted. “The Senate decided whether or not to follow the TRO in a caucus – not even in plenary.”
However, not all senators are in agreement with the Supreme Court’s decision.
