Senator-Elect Tito Sotto Reacts To Motion Introduced by Senator-Judge amid the Impeachment Proceedings
TITO SOTTO – The former Senate President asserted that the upper chamber must follow the rules in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The Senate voted 18-5 on the motion to return the articles of impeachment against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives. Only five (5) senators namely Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel and senators Risa Hontiveros, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, and Sherwin Gatchalian opposed the motion.
Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero clarified that the return of the articles of impeachment to the House does not mean that the case is dismissed. According to him, it is a chance for the prosecution team to answer questions. The motion to remand Duterte’s impeachment came with two (2) requirements.
In the motion, it was clarified that Duterte’s impeachment case is neither dismissed nor terminated. Here are the conditions set on the return:
- The House of Representatives certified to the non-violation of Article XI, Section 3, paragraph 5 of the Constitution, which provides that “No impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within one year; include the circumstances on the filing of the first three impeachment complaints”; and
- The House of Representatives of the 20th Congress communicated to the Senate that it was willing and ready to pursue the impeachment complaint against the Vice President.
Following the motion, 18 senators voted in favor of returning the articles of impeachment against Duterte to the House. They are the following:
- Alan Peter Cayetano
- Pia Cayetano
- Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa
- JV Ejercito
- Chiz Escudero
- Jinggoy Estrada
- Bong Go
- Lito Lapid
- Loren Legarda
- Imee Marcos
- Robin Padilla
- Bong Revilla
- Francis Tolentino
- Raffy Tulfo
- Joel Villanueva
- Cynthia Villar
- Mark Villar
- Juan Miguel Zubiri
The decision of the Senate impeachment court gained different reactions from the people including senators and former senators. Senator-elect Tito Sotto who is also a former senate president reacted to a senator-judge introducing a motion.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Senator-elect Tito Sotto stressed that to maintain impartiality and neutrality, the senators who are judges of the impeachment court must refrain from introducing motions. He stressed that during their time, senator-judges can only ask questions and clarifications.
“Ikaw ang nag-impeachment court e, walang motion na ie-entertain galing sa isang judge. Judge ka e. Ang itsura mo doon you are acting as a counsel for either the defense or the prosecution,” he said.
The former Senate President also disagreed with the Senate questioning the constitutionality of the impeachment of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on the report, he raised a question on the articles of impeachment’s presentation.
“Naipresenta na ba ng mga prosecutors yung articles of impeachment para masabi ninyong may infirmities?” the Senator-elect said.
Senator-elect Tito Sotto said they will insist to follow the rules and procedures in the impeachment in the 20th Congress. He also left a staunch remarks for those who did not follow the rules.
“Doon sa mga hindi sumusunod sa rules saka parliamentary procedures ng Senado ngayon, mahiya naman kayo,” he said.
Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros asserted that there is no return in the Constitution. According to the senator who is one of those who opposed the motion, the Senate’s duty as an impeachment court is to “try and decide”.