May extend into the next Congress
The earliest possible schedule for the Senate to act on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte will be on June 2, when Congress resumes session after the midterm elections.
Senate President Francis Escudero said the Upper Chamber cannot convene as an impeachment court while Congress is on a break
And while a special session may be called during the break, it cannot be to convene an impeachment court.
“That (call for special session) can happen. But the calling of a special session, as far as I know, is not to convene an impeachment court. As far as I know, the calling of a special session is for important things and bills that need to be passed,” Escudero said.
“According to our Constitution, convening an impeachment court is not covered by that provision related to the special session. Legally, it can’t be done because the impeachment court was not convened before Congress went on break,” he added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a press briefing at the Palace, said he is ready to call for a special session but only if senators ask for it.
“If the senators ask for it, yes. Again, we leave it up to them to decide. We are not calling the shots here,” Mr. Marcos said.
“If the Senate President calls me up on the telephone and tells me he has spoken with his colleagues if a special session can be called, then sure, I will do it.”
“But if there is no such request, that means they’re not yet ready. And it’s too early to make such a request because they just received (the verified impeachment complaint resolution Wednesday),” the President added.
Senate Secretary Renato Bantug received the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives at 5:49 p.m. on Wednesday. It was, however, not reported to the plenary before the session ended shortly at 7:00 p.m.
Escudero said the Senate will not be forced to act on the impeachment proceedings hastily.
“For over two months, the House sat on, studied, read, and reviewed the pending impeachment complaints. For over two months, the Secretary General did not forward the impeachment complaints to the Speaker’s office for referral to the plenary and the Committee on Justice,” Escudero said.
“We will not rush this, but we also will not unduly delay it. We will not allow ourselves to be pressured by anyone… We will do our job according to the Constitution, in compliance with what it dictates and the rules of the Senate itself,” he added.
If convicted, Duterte will be removed from the vice presidency and forever barred from public office.
Her Senate trial, however, “will likely extend into the 20th Congress. That’s almost a sure thing now,” Escudero said.
Mr. Marcos assured the public he has no “role” in the impeachment case against Duterte amid the overwhelming support from allies in signing the complaint, including his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, who was first to endorse the complaint.
“The executive cannot have a hand in the impeachment. The executive has no role in impeachment,” the President said.
“Did we discuss it with the Speaker? Did we discuss it with other congressmen? Of course. But the House is simply following the procedure, and they have transmitted the complaint to the upper chamber,” he added.
He said he advised his son to “do his duty.”
“The process has already begun,” Mr. Marcos said. “Once it has been filed, there is a procedure that needs to be followed. It’s your duty now to support that process.”
With her impeachment, Duterte joined a group of only four high-ranking officials to face this fate since the Philippines returned to democracy in 1986, including former President Joseph Estrada in 2000, former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in 2011, and the late Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012.
For its part, the Makabayan coalition acknowledged that if impeaching Duterte was an uphill battle, her trial will be like “going up a mountain.”
“We know that it will be even more challenging at the Senate compared to the Lower House,” Makabayan president Liza Maza said.
“This was an uphill battle for us, but it seems we will be going up a mountain at the Senate, right? Because we know the Dutertes still have influence there,” she added.
While the trial will likely begin in June, the House is already ramping up its preparations to ensure a structured and well-prepared process, according to Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor of Iloilo and 1-RIDER Party-List Rep. Rodge Gutierrez.
“We will also have an information campaign for our countrymen so they can understand the impeachment process to simplify it so that every citizen can understand the process,” Defensor said.
“As we’ve mentioned, the House will not shy away from its constitutional duty. We have already initiated the impeachment complaint as mandated by the Constitution and in addition to that, we will not shy away from the preparations,” Gutierrez added. With AFP