Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media at the Office of The Vice President in Mandaluyong City on December 11, 2024, after skipping on the same day a National Bureau of Investigation probe on her remarks of having  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated should she be killed. Duterte stood firm that she would not present herself before the NBI saying that its inquiry was “unfair.” Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Vice president-Sara Duterte-Presscon

Job Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173995271303120241211-vpsd-presscon-MT-19.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference with the media at the Office of the Vice President in Mandaluyong City on February 7, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News"><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align: left;">Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference with the media at the Office of the Vice President in Mandaluyong City on February 7, 2025. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>MANILA &mdash; The campaign period for the May elections is &ldquo;not a valid reason&rdquo; to delay Vice President Sara Duterte&rsquo;s impeachment trial, former Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Wednesday.&nbsp;</div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/17/-marami-pwedeng-mangyari-senate-on-the-hot-seat-in-vp-duterte-impeach-trial-1204">&#39;Marami pwedeng mangyari&#39;: Senate on the hot seat in VP Duterte impeach trial</a></div><p>During the University of the Philippines&rsquo; legal forum, Drilon said the Senate must act on the impeachment, citing the word &ldquo;forthwith&rdquo; in the 1987 Constitution.</p><p>&quot;I cannot accept the proposition that simply because senators will be campaigning &ndash; sets an important constitutional duty to constitute themselves as an impeachment court and try &ndash; the impeachment complaint can be deferred,&rdquo; Drilon said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/19/sara-duterte-challenges-her-impeachment-at-supreme-court-1053">Sara Duterte seeks to block her impeachment trial</a></div><p>&ldquo;The Constitution says &#39;try forthwith.&#39; And we give ordinary meaning to ordinary words. Forthwith means immediately and it is my respectful submission that the campaign period is not a valid reason to postpone,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Drilon emphasized that the deferment should not be justified because the 1987 Constitution &ldquo;mandates the performance of the constitutional duty forthwith.&rdquo;</p><p>A special session, he said, could be called for the formal referral of the impeachment complaint to the impeachment court.&nbsp;</p><p>Lawyer Rene Sarmiento, ex-Comelec commissioner and one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution echoed the former Senate President, saying the constitution provides that the trial starts immediately.&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;Yan ang mainit na pinag-uusapan ngayon sa ating lipunan. In the tagalog version of the &lsquo;87 Constitution &lsquo;dapat agad isunod.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s a novel addition to the 1987 constitution on impeachment &ndash; not found in the 1935, not found in the 1973 constitutions. Not even in the US 1787 Constitution,&rdquo; said Sarmiento.&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;It means right away, it means immediately, walang patumpik-tumpik. Walang alinlangan, gawin kaagad,&rdquo; he added.</p><p>A former presidential adviser believes the Senate is being placed in the hot seat due to the looming impeachment trial of Duterte.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/12/escudero-cautions-senators-from-talking-about-vp-sara-duterte-impeachment-1438">Escudero cautions senators from talking about Sara Duterte&#39;s impeachment</a></div><p>Ronald Lllamas said Senate President Francis Escudero&rsquo;s insistence that the trial commence after the State of the Nation address could be due to pressure from other senators.&nbsp;</p><p>Still others may have calculated that a trial will be bad for them in the 2028 elections, he said, noting that senators could lose votes in Mindanao and among members of the Iglesia ni Cristo depending on the trial&rsquo;s outcome.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NtnSSxIrbh0?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br></div>

<p>The campaign period for the May elections is “not a valid reason” to delay Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, former Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Wednesday.</p>

The campaign period for the May elections is “not a valid reason” to delay Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, former Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Wednesday.

Campaign period 'unacceptable' reason to postpone impeachment trial: Drilon

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Campaign period 'unacceptable' reason to postpone impeachment trial: Drilon

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 19, 2025 04:26 PM PHT

Read More:

Halalan

Vice President Sara Duterte

VP Sara Duterte

Halalan 2025

Sara Duterte

politics

ANC

aNc promo

aBSNews

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

Haven't received our newsletter?

Check your inbox to verify and confirm your subscription. If you don’t see it, please check your spam or junk folder.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.