Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Responds To Summons of Senate Impeachment Court
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President, in her response to the Senate impeachment court, sought the dismissal of the impeachment case against her.
Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero previously clarified that the return of Duterte’s impeachment to the House of Representatives is not a dismissal or termination of the impeachment case. The explanation came after 18 senator judges voted for the remand of the impeachment case.
Only five (5) senator judges opposed the motion to remand the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President to the House. The motion seeks clarification on the constitutionality of the impeachment case as well as a reconfirmation from the 20th Congress.
Senator Risa Hontiveros who was one of those who opposed the motion claimed that there is no concept of return in the Constitution. Here are the senator judges who supported and opposed the remand of Duterte’s impeachment case to the House:
YES
- 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
NO
- Koko Pimentel
- Risa Hontiveros
- Sherwin Gatchalian
- Grace Poe
- Nancy Binay
Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel was disappointed by the decision of the Senate impeachment court to remand Duterte’s impeachment. According to former Senate Pres. Tito Sotto, senator judges should not introduce a motion and should only ask questions or seek clarification.
Incoming senator Kiko Pangilinan stressed that the Senate impeachment court’s duty is to “try and decide”. However, despite the opposing comments, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero maintained that the impeachment court can decide on anything. The court sent summons to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
Recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte responded to the summons sent by the Senate impeachment court. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, in her Answer Ad Cautelam, the Vice President sought the dismissal of the impeachment case against her for allegedly “violating the one-year bar rule” of the 1987 Constitution.
Atty. Princess Abantehas, the spokesman of the House of Representatives, confirmed that the lower chamber received a copy of the response of Vice Pres. Duterte to the impeachment complaint. According to the House Spox, the response was delivered by Fortun, Narvasa & Salazar law firm’s messenger, Arnel Barrientos Jr.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte asserted in her response that the impeachment complaint allegedly violated the provision in the Constitution which prohibits more than one impeachment complaint to be filed against an impeachable official. Previously, following the remand of the Articles of Impeachment, the House adopted a resolution certifying that Duterte’s impeachment complied with the requirements in the Constitution.
According to some House members, the one-year ban on impeachment complaints against an impeachable official of the government allegedly kicks in only after a complaint was referred by the lower chamber. Based on the report, they cited Section 3 (5) of Article XI, 1987 Constitution states that “no impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year.”
Amid the impeachment issues, Pres. Bongbong Marcos maintained that he has no role on the process. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte recently slammed the claim of Marcos Jr. over the impeachment process against her.