Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian Speaks on Pulling Out VP Sara Duterte’s Impeachment Case from Senate Archives
SHERWIN GATCHALIAN – The Senator claimed that Vice President Sara Duterte’s archived impeachment can be revived with a vote of five (5) senators.
Following the decision of the Senate to archive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, House Speaker Martin Romualdez called the archiving of Duterte’s impeachment case as allegedly a “rushed burial”. He claimed that the filing of the impeachment complaint was allegedly not rushed rather it was its “burial”.
The motion to archive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was a changed motion of Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Rodante Marcoleta. Initially, Marcoleta who is a known Duterte ally wants the dismissal of the case but he agreed to changed his motion to the archiving of the case.
The senators cast their votes on Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Rodante Marcoleta’s motion to archive the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Nineteen (19) senators voted in favor of Marcoleta’s 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
Most of the senators who voted in favor of archiving the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte supported their vote by highlighting their respect to the Supreme Court ruling. Recently, one of them, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, spoke on the possible means of pulling out the impeachment case from the Senate archives.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian claimed that based on his review of the Senate rules, a vote of five (5) senators can already pull out the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte from the Senate archives. He stressed that he really reviewed the Senate rules before he rose his hand in favor of the motion to archive the impeachment case against the Vice President.
“Under our rules, with a vote of five senators, the impeachment can be brought back and placed in the order of business… I reviewed the rules before we voted. There is a mechanism under the rules to pull out the article of impeachment and include it in the order of business,” Gatchalian expressed.
Based on a report on Inquirer, two (2) senators already, Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto and Sen. Ping Lacson, have already expressed willingness to move for the revival of the impeachment case against the Vice President if the Supreme Court changes its ruling.
According to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the vote of five (5) senators is not the only way to revive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. The Senator claimed that the Senate may also suspend all the rules through a majority vote.
“When we suspend the rules, we can vote to bring back the articles of impeachment and put it back to the order of business,” the Senator said.
Previously, presidential sister and Sen. Imee Marcos claimed that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment case is allegedly “dead” but not totally buried. She also claimed that they will abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court if it reverses its judgment.