Senators Decide over Motions of Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta
SENATE – Nineteen (19) senators voted in favor of archiving the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte and only four (4) senators opposed the motion.
The long wait is over for many people who longed to hear the senators discussing the ruling of the high court over the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Prior to the opening of the 20th Congress, the Supreme Court declared the Articles of Constitution against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as “unconstitutional”. According to the court, it did not follow the one-year rule stated in the Constitution.
The Senate set August 6 as the day when the senators will discuss and decide over the Supreme Court ruling on Duterte’s case. Yesterday, during the much-awaited session, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta moved to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte citing the ruling of the high court.
Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto moved to table the motion of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta. According to him, all they really need to do is to wait amid a pending motion for reconsideration filed before the Supreme Court. Some complainants and the House of Representatives have filed MRs before the high court.
According to Sotto, the Supreme Court allegedly made “clear and blatant errors” in its decision citing that the 19th Congress adjourned sine die in February 5. He also stressed that “the one year ban did not set in” because the first three (3) impeachment complaints were archived by the House.
The Senate moved to vote on the motion of Sotto to table Marcoleta’s motion to dismiss Duterte’s impeachment case. However, only five (5) senators agreed to it. They proceeded to voting on the motion of the Blue Ribbon Committee chairman.
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta agreed to change his motion from dismissing the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to archiving it. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, nineteen (19) senators voted in favor of the motion to archive Duterte’s impeachment. Four (4) senators voted “No” and Sen. Ping Lacson abstained from the voting.
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
“May God have mercy on your decision,” Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto said.
Previously, prior to the session in the upper chamber, known-Duterte ally Sen. Bato dela Rosa asserted that there’s no need for debates over the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.