Senate Moves to Begin Impeachment Trial Against Duterte
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III formally urged the Senate on Monday, June 9, to suspend all legislative activities and convene immediately as an impeachment court to start the trial against Vice President Sara Duterte. This call to action highlights the Senate’s constitutional duty to act promptly on the impeachment complaint filed against her.
In his motion during the plenary session, Pimentel emphasized the need to initiate the impeachment trial without delay. He proposed several key steps to jumpstart the process, including having Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero take his oath as the presiding officer of the impeachment court. Afterward, the presiding officer should administer the oath or affirmation to all Senate members present.
Procedural Steps to Start Impeachment Trial
Pimentel also requested that the impeachment court formally call the case against Vice President Duterte. He set a schedule for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. when the impeachment court should hear the presentation and reading of the articles of impeachment by the House of Representatives’ prosecutors. Following this, a writ of summons should be issued to Duterte to appear in court.
During his speech, Pimentel stressed that any postponement would undermine the Constitution’s clear mandate and the Senate’s rules. He warned that delays could erode 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,” he said.
According to Rule 10 of the Senate’s Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials, once the trial is set to begin, all other legislative business must be suspended to prioritize the trial. Pimentel called on his colleagues to honor this rule to maintain the integrity of the process.
Senate’s Response and Timeline
As of the latest updates, the Senate has yet to vote on Pimentel’s motion. Notably, the chamber has only three remaining session days before the start of the congressional recess, making swift action crucial if the impeachment trial is to proceed without delay.
For more news and updates on impeachment proceedings, visit Filipinokami.com.