Senate Agrees on Impeachment Court Oath for Sara Duterte
After lengthy discussions, the Senate plenary finally agreed on Monday night, June 9, on the motion of Senator Joel Villanueva for Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero to take his oath as presiding officer of the impeachment court. This court will handle the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. The decision came after several hours of debate and negotiations among senators.
Villanueva explained that Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III consented to amend his earlier motion. Pimentel had initially urged the Senate to immediately fulfill its constitutional duty by starting the impeachment trial “at this very moment.” His motion was filed shortly after 4 p.m. but was taken up again after the session resumed past 8 p.m.
Referral to Committee and Senate Judges’ Oath
When the session resumed, Villanueva moved to refer the impeachment complaint to the Senate Committee on Rules, which the Senate approved. Before Villanueva could propose that senators take their oath as senator-judges on June 10, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa sought clarity about the impeachment court’s convening after the oath-taking.
Villanueva assured the senators that the court would not automatically convene immediately after the oath. However, Pimentel disagreed, stating that the impeachment court would convene as soon as the senators took their oath as senator-judges. Dela Rosa opposed any motion that would trigger the immediate convening of the court, leading to further debate.
Escudero Takes Oath as Presiding Officer
Before 9 p.m., Villanueva moved for Escudero to take his oath as the impeachment court’s presiding officer. The motion was approved, and Escudero took his oath before Senate Secretary Atty. Renato N. Bantug Jr. Following this, Villanueva moved for the senators-judges to take their oath at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10.
He emphasized that while the impeachment court would be constituted, it would not yet convene immediately after the oath-taking. This change in schedule followed Pimentel’s earlier motion in the afternoon.
Unaddressed Motions and Pimentel’s Privilege Speech
Aside from the motions that were approved, Pimentel also proposed several other motions that were not discussed. These included formally calling the impeachment case against Vice President Duterte, convening the impeachment court at 2 p.m. on June 10 for the presentation and reading of the Articles of Impeachment, and issuing a writ of summons to Duterte after reading the charges.
In a privilege speech, Pimentel stressed that any delay in proceeding with the impeachment trial undermines the Constitution and the Senate rules. He warned that postponing the trial risks eroding public trust in the Senate’s ability to hold public officials accountable and uphold the rule of law.
“Not only do many believe that the Senate is heading to a no-trial scenario, worse, many have opined that simply by inaction or by merely refusing to convene as the impeachment court, the Senate seems to believe that it can effectively dismiss or defeat an impeachment complaint duly filed and transmitted by the House of Representatives,” Pimentel said.
He also cited Rule 10 of the Senate’s Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials, which requires the Senate to suspend other legislative business at the appointed hour for the impeachment trial so that the proceedings can move forward.
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