Pro-impeachment groups may take the fight to hold Vice President Sara Duterte accountable before the Ombudsman after the Senate decided to archive the complaint against her for alleged impeachable offenses such as malversation of confidential funds and unexplained wealth, among others.
As a worst-case scenario, lawmakers will refile the complaint against Duterte in February next year.
But if there is one silver lining for pro-impeachment groups in the Senate’s move Wednesday evening, it is that the impeachment complaint against the Vice President has effectively been preserved by the Senate’s decision to have it archived.
“It’s dead but it’s not really buried. In effect, because it is in the archive it can still be revived should the SC reverse its decision,” Senator Imee Marcos said during a press forum yesterday.
The Supreme Court earlier unanimously junked the Articles of Impeachment as unconstitutional, saying these violated the one-year bar on multiple impeachment proceedings.
“We are just following the law and the Supreme Court,” the senator added.
For constitutionalist and Ateneo Policy Center senior research fellow Michael Yusingco, there is still hope as impeachment is not the only avenue to hold public officials accountable.
“Bringing the plunder case to the Ombudsman is absolutely necessary. This is a heinous crime, and its perpetuator must be punished accordingly. Therefore, civil society must ensure that the person appointed to the post must be more capable and devoted to the mandate of the constitution,” Yusingco said.
At the House of Representatives, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno acknowledged the possibility of refiling the impeachment complaint next year.
“Should all avenues be really closed to pursue the impeachment trial for now, the last resort, of course, is to file again by February 2026,” he said in a television interview.
Diokno said it would have been more prudent for the Senate to wait until the Supreme Court resolves the pending motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives.
“Instead, the Senate hammered another nail on the coffin of accountability,” he said.
“We reiterate our call for the Supreme Court to reconsider its Decision. Even the highest officials must be held accountable for wrongdoings against the Filipino people,” Diokno added.
