Chiz to House: Senate not a playground to run after foes
Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero on Wednesday asked members of the House of Representatives to refrain from trying to use the Senate as a tool to go after political adversaries.
Escudero made the remark as he explained his vote for archiving the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
'To the House of Representatives I say, do not allow yourselves to be used for the blind hatred and ambition of a few who did things haphazardly, gravely abused their discretion, and violated due process, rights under the Constitution as found by the High Court itself,' the Senate president said.
'In spite of all these, you expect everyone to roll over in obedience. When we did not, you moved hell and high water to destroy personalities, malign reputations, and tarnish institutions," he added.
"To these people, I say this, the Senate is not your playground to run after your political enemies. We are not an accomplice in any grand scheme,' Escudero said.
Escudero also said that he is not willing to play such politicians' game, stressing that he will 'never bow to a mob [and] never cower to the shrillest of voices.'
To recall, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Vice President was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
Duterte, in return, had entered a 'not guilty' plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her, which she called merely a 'scrap of paper.'
Recently, the Supreme Court declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, stressing that it is barred by the one-year rule under the Constitution and that it violates her right to due process.
The high court said the Senate cannot acquire jurisdiction over the impeachment proceedings.
However, the SC said it was not absolving Duterte from any of the charges against her and that any subsequent impeachment complaint may be filed starting February 6, 2026.
The House , through the Office of the Solicitor General, then filed a motion for reconsideration, seeking to reverse the SC decision. The lower chamber argued it should be allowed to perform its exclusive duty to prosecute an impeachable official, and the Senate's to try the case.
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GMA Network
an hour ago
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VP Sara, legal team celebrate archival of articles of impeachment
Vice President Sara Duterte celebrated with her legal team and the petitioners who pushed for the dismissal of the impeachment case after the Senate voted to transfer to the archives the articles of impeachment. In photos posted on social media, Duterte can be seen h with the legal team and the petitioners. 'Thanksgiving celebration with VP Sara Duterte, the legal team and the petitioners who pushed for the dismissal of the impeachment against VP Sara. Ngiting tagumpay (Smile of victory)!' said Davao City councilor Luna Acosta in a Facebook post Thursday. Acosta added their camp is confident in their legal arguments as they will still file a comment to the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives. 'We still have to file a comment to the Motion for Reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives, but we are confident in our legal arguments and believe that due process and the rule of law remain supreme above all. Para sa bayan (For the nation)!' she added in her post. With 19 votes for, four against, and one abstention, the Senate on Wednesday archived the impeachment complaint. Senator Rodante Marcoleta initially moved for the dismissal of the articles of impeachment, but agreed to Senator Joel Villanueva's amendment that the complaint be archived instead. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Vicente Sotto III and some members of the minority argued that the Senate should wait for the decision of the Supreme Court on the motion for reconsideration that the Office of the Solicitor General filed on behalf of the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Vice President was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. Duterte entered a 'not guilty' plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her by the House of Representatives, which she called a 'scrap of paper.' The Supreme Court earlier declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, noting that it was barred by the one-year rule under the Constitution and that it violated her right to due process. The lower chamber then filed a motion for reconsideration, seeking to reverse the SC decision. It argued that it should be allowed to perform its exclusive duty to prosecute an impeachable official, and the Senate's to try the case. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
an hour ago
- GMA Network
Imee Marcos says impeachment complaint vs Sara Duterte 'dead but not buried'
The impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte may be revived should the Supreme Court reverse its decision, Senator Imee Marcos said Thursday. Marcos made the remarks a day after the Senate, voting 19-4-1, moved to archives the articles of impeachment against Duterte, saying it is 'dead but not buried.' 'It's dead but it's not really buried. In effect, because it is in the archive…pwede namang hugutin pa uli kung magbago ang Korte Suprema (it can still be revived should the SC reverse its decision),' Marcos said during the Kapihan sa Senado. 'Sumusunod lang kami sa batas at sa Korte Suprema (We are just following the law and the Supreme Court),' she said. Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa, JV Ejercito, Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Sherwin Gatchalian, Bong Go, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Rodante Marcoleta, Erwin Tulfo, Raffy Tulfo, Imee Marcos, and Robin Padilla, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Camille Villar, and Mark Villar, and Miguel Zubiri voted yes. Senators Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan, Senate minority leader Vicente 'Tito' Sotto III voted no. Sen. Panfilo 'Ping' Lacson abstained. 'We archived it that's for sure pero maliwanag naman sa sentimyento ng lahat na kung ano ang utos ng SC ay masusunod. Kung may himala na mangyari at mag-reverse ang 13 justices, talaga namang susunod kami dun,' said Marcos, adding she believes the possibility that the SC will reverse its ruling is 'highly unlikely'. 'We archived it, that's for sure but it is clear that we will adhere to the SC decision. We will follow if the 13 justices reverse their decision.) Meanwhile, Senator Rodante Marcoleta said the impeachment case against Duterte died along with the end of the 19th Congress. 'Sapagkat 'yung impeachment na pinasimulan noong 19th Congress, kasamang namatay noong nag-expire ang 19th Congress noong June 30, 2025. Isa 'yun na dapat isaalang-alang,' Marcoleta told Super Radyo dzBB. (Because the impeachment initiated during the 19th Congress also ended when the 19th Congress expired on June 30, 2025. It must be taken into consideration.) Marcoleta, who chairs the Senate committee on accountability of public officers and investigations, initially moved for the dismissal of the articles of impeachment, but agreed to Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva's amendment that the complaint instead be archived. When asked if an impeachment will be filed against Duterte in February 2026, Marcoleta said, 'Nasa kanila na yun (It's up to them).' 'Basta iluto lang nilang mabuti 'yung kanin, katanggap-tanggap, hindi hilaw. 'Yun lang naman (they should work on it. It should be acceptable),' the senator said as he likened Duterte's impeachment case to uncooked rice. Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros said the motion of Sotto to table the impeachment case should have been enough instead of archiving it. 'Kapag in-archive kahit hindi pa patay, napakahirap ilabas sa archives. Kailangan pang mag-majority vote,' Hontiveros said. (Once it is archived, even if it's not dead, it's very hard to bring it out of the archives. It requires a majority vote.) 'Tama na sana 'yung motion to table kasi nga ibig sabihin, isasantabi muna pero oras na matapos ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema sa motion for reconsideration, itutuloy na. Ganoon lang,' she added. (The motion to table should have been enough, since it simply means setting it aside for now. But once the Supreme Court rules on the motions for reconsideration, it will proceed.) Hontiveros also noted that the issues surrounding Duterte's impeachment case should be resolved. 'Dapat hindi muna tayo mag-move on kung may mga importanteng issue na kailangang ma-resolve muna. Na may mga leksyon tayo na matutunan doon. At sa pagtuto natin, sisingilin 'yung accountability ng bawat isa sa atin,' the senator said. (We shouldn't move on yet if there are important issues that still need to be resolved. There are lessons we need to learn from it. And through that learning, we will hold those accountable.) Just a suggestion Meanwhile, Marcos reiterated she was merely making a recommendation to House lawmakers when she suggested they replace Speaker Martin Romualdez instead of removing an elected leader. 'Wala akong niyuyurakan. Sabi ko nga, suggestion lang naman ito. 'Wag kayong magalit at wala naman akong pinipilit (I am not attacking anyone. As I've said, it's just a suggestion. Don't get mad, I'm not forcing anyone to do it),' she said. Meanwhile, the senator also said she already texted the Vice President regarding the Senate vote. She said Duterte replied with a Bible quote and thanked God. Impeachment complaint The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Vice President was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. Recently, the Supreme Court declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, stressing that it was barred by the one-year rule under the Constitution and that it violated her right to due process. The House then filed a motion for reconsideration, seeking to reverse the SC decision. The lower chamber argued it should be allowed to perform its exclusive duty to prosecute an impeachable official, and the Senate's to try the case. Three motions for reconsideration have been filed with the SC against its ruling. The first was filed by some of the individuals behind the first impeachment complaint against Duterte, followed by the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives. The third motion was filed by the 1Sambayan coalition, including retired SC justices Conchita Carpio-Morales, also a former Ombudsman, and Antonio Carpio. They asked the SC to issue a status quo ante order and to set the case for oral arguments. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 hours ago
- GMA Network
Azcuna agrees with Senate archiving Sara Duterte impeachment case
Retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna on Thursday said he agrees with the Senate's move to transfer to the archives the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte amid the pending appeals filed with the Supreme Court. 'Ako ay sang-ayon sa archiving muna because it does not prejudice the consideration of the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives,' he told Super Radyo dzBB. (I am in favor of archiving it for now because it does not prejudice the consideration of the MR filed by the House of Representatives.) 'At sakali man na babaguhin ng SC ang kanilang decision, maaaring kunin ulit ang articles galing sa archives. Pwede naman i-retrieve ng Senado any material in the archives. So it is without prejudice to whatever decision the SC will make on the MR,' he added. (And even if the SC changes its decision, the articles can be retrieved from the archives. The Senate can retrieve any material in the archives. So it is without prejudice to whatever decision the SC will make on the MR.) Azcuna said that the Senate could have chosen not to discuss it, but this was unlikely. On Wednesday, the Senate voted to transfer the articles to the archives following the ruling of the Supreme Court to declare it unconstitutional. The SC ruled that it was barred by the one-year bar rule under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution. The House of Representatives appealed the ruling on Tuesday. The SC meanwhile ordered Duterte to comment on the motion for reconsideration. 1Sambayan coalition, which includes retired Justices Conchita Carpio-Morales and Antonio Carpio, previously filed a motion for reconsideration, urging the SC to issue a status quo ante order and set the case for oral arguments. For his part, Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, expressed hope that the SC will seriously look into the issues raised in the MRs. 'I hope that the SC will look seriously into these issues raised and will judge accordingly, independently, and according to their conscience kasi kailangan 'yun,' he said in an interview with Balitanghali.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
