Bato says Senate action showed impeachment rap ‘infirm'; Koko disappointed
The approved motion to return the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives, even without dismissing or terminating them, is a victory, Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa said Tuesday.
'Yes, the mere fact that the court approved the returning of articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives is a manifestation that they agree to my previous speech that the impeachment court is constitutionally infirm,' Dela Rosa told reporters.
The Senate had convened as an impeachment court earlier in the day, after the senators were sworn in as senator-judges and a day after Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero took his oath as the trial's presiding officer.
Duterte was impeached by the House in February, after 215 and eventually 240 House members signed a fourth impeachment complaint against her.
Dela Rosa, a very close ally of the Duterte family, has moved to dismiss the impeachment complaint, saying that the House violated Article XI, Section 2, paragraph 5 of the Constitution which states, "No impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year," with four separate impeachment complaints filed against Duterte.
Another ally of the Dutertes, Senator Imee Marcos, said that the impeachment of the Vice President does not aim for accountability but early disqualification.
'Ang uuwian [ng impeachment] ay disqualification. Tanggal sa opisina niya.Yun lang yun. Magpakatotoo tayo parang ito ay glorified, early disqualification. Seryosohin naman natin ang impeachment. Wag nating paglaruan ang saligang batas,' Marcos said in an ambush interview.
(The impeachment will lead to disqualification and removal from office. Let's be real, this is like a glorified early disqualification. Let's take the impeachment seriously.)
The senator also said that if the Vice President needs accountability, she can face the multiple charges filed against her by the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Justice, among others.
Marcos reiterated her position in questioning the validity of the impeachment complaint.
'Mas maigi isaayos na muna nila. Wala namang pagbabawal na magpila ulit ng impeachment complaint [It's better that they iron it out first. No one's saying they can't file another impeachment complaint],' she said.
Disappointed
On the other hand, Senator Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III expressed disappointment with tonight's outcome.
'Ako'y nalulungkot; may saving grace na lang tayo na may pinadala na summons [I'm disappointed, but we have a saving grace that a summons was issued],' he said, referring to the court's issuing a summons to Duterte, directing her to file her answers within 10 days.
He also noted that there is no concept of "return to sender" in legal proceedings, after the majority of senators moved to "remand" the impeachment complaint back to the House.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, while he voted against returning the complaint, said he respects the decision of the majority.
'But if you ask me, maganda sana na pag-uusapan yan during the trial proper kasi yun transparent at fair sa lahat. Hindi naman ibig sabihin kung pinakinggan na ito sa trial proper, matutuloy siya. Pwede rin siya ma-dismiss,' Gatchalian said.
(If you ask me, it would be good to discuss it during the trial proper because it would be transparent and fair to all. It does not mean that if you address it during the trial proper that the trial would continue. It could be dismissed.)
'Pero at least doon na natin napag-usapan. And yun yung proper procedure. Mag-convene na, magkaroon ng trial at ilalabas. Ako naniniwala ilalabas rin ng defense yan. So sana doon na pag-usapan,' he added.
(But at least we could discuss it there. And that is the proper procedure. To convene, to have a trial, and present it. And I believe the defense would do so. So it should be discussed there.)
With the motion to return the article of impeachment approved, there would be no more reading of the articles of impeachment by House prosecutors on Wednesday. — BM, GMA Integrated News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
an hour ago
- GMA Network
House yet to transmit impeach raps certification of constitutionality to Senate
The House of Representatives has yet to transmit to the Senate its resolution certifying that the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte complied with the 1987 Constitution. 'It was decided by the House leadership that the secretary general can issue the certification, maybe for everyone's appeasement. But, it does not necessarily mean that we will transmit such certification to the Senate,' House Impeachment Prosecutor Ysabel Maria Zamora of San Juan City told reporters in an ambush interview on Thursday. Zamora added that the House Prosecution Panel has also yet to discuss when to transmit the certification to the Senate as she emphasized they are not defying the Impeachment Court's order but merely "seeking clarification." 'We are giving the message that we follow the rules, we follow the Constitution and we are wondering why they issued such resolution. We are actually asking them why they are questioning our procedures when the mere fact that we transmitted the Articles of Impeachment showed that we followed the procedures in the House, with the procedures laid in the Constitution,' Zamora added. The resolution was adopted on Wednesday night on the last session day of the 19th Congress. Zamora, however, reiterated the House Prosecution Panel's stand that the Senate Impeachment Court cannot remand or return the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives. 'Yun po ang aming stand: wala silang authority to remand the Articles of Impeachment… Ang nakalagay sa Constitution natin, once the Articles of Impeachment has been transmitted by the House of Representatives to the Senate, then the Senate shall conduct trial forthwith,' Zamora explained. Escudero Meanwhile, Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who sits as presiding officer of the impeachment court, also confirmed on Thursday that the Senate has yet to receive any pleading from the House of Representatives regarding the impeachment. This, as he reiterated that the House prosecution panel has no option but to accept the returned articles of impeachment. "'Yun ang pasya ng impeachment court bilang mga taga-usig. Dapat nilang galangin at sundin 'yun. Kapareho sa parte ni VP Sara, dapat galangin at sundin rin niya ang summons na in-issue ng impeachment court," he added. (That's the decision of the impeachment court as judges. The House should respect and obey that. Likewise, on the part of VP Sara, she should also respect and obey the summons issued by the impeachment court.) Escudero also emphasized that communications regarding the impeachment should be submitted through pleadings and not through social media, press conferences, or press releases. 'Clarification' Zamora also expressed "concerns" over the Senate Impeachment Court's cancellation of the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment by the House Prosecution Panel. 'Baka nga ma-technical kami. Maybe hindi kami mag-present dahil sinabi nila in their session tapos mababaligtarin eventually. So we just want maybe a written clarification from them just to clear everything,' Zamora said Zamora, meanwhile, thanked House Speaker Martin Romualdez's speech at the closing of session of the 19th Congress after he described the impeachment court's move as "deeply concerning." 'We appreciate his message and it shows that the House is strong and committed to pursue this impeachment case,' Zamora said. She also stated that the speaker has not issued any directive to the House Prosecution Panel regarding the impeachment. 'Honestly, wala pong orders. We are grateful that he has allowed us to do our job by ourselves… Speaker is a lawyer himself and sometimes he would have inputs but this is really on how we will present our case,' Zamora said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- GMA Network
VP Sara: Let's not surrender our freedom to 'traitors'
Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday called on the nation not to surrender its freedom to traitors and those who do not care about the country. 'Hindi tayo lumaya para muling mawalan ng karapatan at maging alipin ng iilan. Ipinagmalaki natin sa mundo ang kalayaan ng mga Pilipino. Huwag nating isuko ang kalayaang ito sa mga taksil at walang malasakit sa ating mamamayan at sa ating bayan,' Duterte said in a video message for the country's 127th Independence Day. (We didn't become free only to lose our rights again and be slaves to others. We boast of our freedom to the world. Let us not surrender this freedom to traitors and those who have no regard for our people and our country.) Duterte, who is currently in Malaysia for a personal trip with her family, emphasized that the freedom that Filipinos enjoy today is the result of the love of the national heroes for the country. 'Paglapastangan sa alaala ng ating mga bayani ang pagyakap sa kultura ng pagkaalipin. Paglapastangan sa diwa ng kalayaan ang pagsasawalang bahala sa paghihirap ng maraming pamilyang Pilipino at ang paglabag sa mga karapatan at sa batas,' said Duterte. (Embracing the culture of slavery is disrespect to the memory of our heroes. Ignoring the suffering of many Filipino families and violating our rights and the law is disrespect to our freedom.) According to the Office of the Vice President (OVP), Duterte is scheduled within the day to attend the Independence Day celebration and engage in a program consultation with overseas Filipino workers in Malaysia. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 hours ago
- GMA Network
Escudero: House should submit pleading on Sara Duterte impeachment
Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who sits as presiding officer of the impeachment court, said Thursday the Senate has yet to receive any pleading from the House of Representatives regarding the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. In an ambush interview in Malolos, Bulacan, Escudero emphasized that all communications regarding the impeachment should be submitted through pleadings—not through social media, press conferences, or press releases—considering that the impeachment court has already convened. The House of Representatives on Wednesday night certified that Duterte's impeachment complied with the 1987 Constitution. The House plenary also deferred acceptance of the articles of impeachment until the Senate impeachment court has responded to the queries sought by the House prosecution panel regarding the return of the articles of impeachment. According to Escudero, however, the impeachment court did not receive any documents pertaining to the matter by the time the Senate adjourned sine die on Wednesday at about 9 p.m. "Hindi ko nais komentaryuhan 'yan dahil una, balita lang 'yan. Ni hindi ko alam kung totoo dahil wala pa naman kaming natatanggap. Lahat ng komunikasyon, sa ngayon na may impeachment court na, sa pamamagitan na ng pleading at hindi press release o ang presscon," the senate president said. (I don't want to comment on that because, first of all, it's just news reports. I don't even know if that's true because we haven't received anything yet. Now that there is an impeachment court, all communication should be done through pleading and not through press releases or press conferences.) Escudero said only the impeachment court can say what could be the possible effects of the latest move by the House of Representatives. Further, only the Supreme Court can decide whether returning Duterte's case back to the House is unconstitutional or not, Escudero said. The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, voted 18-5 on Tuesday night to return the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives without dismissing or terminating the case until such time that: The House of Representatives certified to the non-violation of Article XI, Section 3, paragraph 5 of the Constitution, which provides that "No impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within one year; include the circumstances on the filing of the first three impeachment complaints"; and The House of Representatives of the 20th Congress communicated to the Senate that it was willing and ready to pursue the impeachment complaint against the Vice President. On Wednesday evening, Speaker Martin Romualdez described the Senate impeachment court's move as "deeply concerning." Despite this, Romualdez said the House "will comply with the requirements of the impeachment court" to ensure that the process continues. Escudero, meanwhile, reiterated that the House prosecution panel has no option but to accept the returned articles of impeachment. "'Yun ang pasya ng impeachment court bilang mga taga-usig. Dapat nilang galangin at sundin 'yun. Kapareho sa parte ni VP Sara, dapat galangin at sundin rin niya ang summons na in-issue ng impeachment court," he added. (That's the decision of the impeachment court as judges. The House should respect and obey that. Likewise, on the part of VP Sara, she should also respect and obey the summons issued by the impeachment court.) The Senate Sergeant-At-Arms served on Wednesday morning the writ of summons for the Vice President at her office in Mandaluyong City. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) confirmed receipt of the summons issued by the Senate impeachment court at 11:05 a.m. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
