Senators Ping Lacson, Tito Sotto To Revive VP Sara Duterte’s Impeachment Case If SC Reverses Ruling
PING LACSON – The Senator claimed that he and Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto will pull out Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case if the Supreme Court changes its ruling.
Following the decision of the Supreme Court that declared the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as “unconstitutional”, the Senate also decided on the fate of the impeachment case against the Vice President last August 6. The high court said the impeachment complaint against the Vice President does not follow the one-year rule in the Constitution.
During the Senate session, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson Rodante Marcoleta moved to dismiss the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. However, Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto moved to table Marcoleta’s motion.
Only five (5) senators supported Sotto’s motion to table the motion of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman which resulted to the defeat of the motion. After it, Marcoleta agreed to change his motion to the archiving of the impeachment case against the Vice President after Motion for Reconsiderations were filed before the Supreme Court. Only Sen. Ping Lacson abstained from voting on the motion.
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
Sen. Ping Lacson claimed that he abstained from voting on the motion to archive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte in lieu of his respect for the ruling of the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, recently, he clarified his stand in case the SC changes its decision.
Speaking in an interview with dzBB, Sen. Ping Lacson claimed that if, hypothetically, the decision of the Supreme Court is reversed, he and Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto “will move to pull out the case from the archives and discuss it”. According to him, if someone will object their move, he will recall their explanation during the archiving of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment case.
“I’m hoping against hope they will respect the final ruling of the Supreme Court addressing the motion for reconsideration. Because if the high court reverses its ruling and they stick to their vote, I will remind them that in their vote to archive the complaint, they invoked respect for the high court,” the Senator said based on a report on Inquirer.
Meanwhile, based on the report, despite their pursuit in case the SC changes its ruling, Sen. Ping Lacson maintained that the vote of the Senate depends on the vote of the majority of the senators. He emphasized that it is the “essence of democracy”.
Previously, House Speaker Martin Romualdez claimed that the archiving of the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is allegedly a “rushed burial” of the case. His cousin, presidential sister and Senator Imee Marcos, claimed that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment case is allegedly “dead but not totally buried”.