Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Sara Duterte

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Some lawmakers and groups have described as “unconstitutional” the move of the Senate sitting as an impeachment court to return to the House of Representatives the articles of impeachment it filed against Vice President Sara Duterte. Congressmen from the Makabayan bloc, who signed the impeachment complaint, said the move is “legally baseless” and a “clear abdication” of the Senate’s constitutional duty. “We, the Makabayan bloc in Congress, vehemently condemn the Senate impeachment court&#x27;s unprecedented and unconstitutional decision to return the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives. This brazen move represents a dangerous departure from constitutional procedure and sets a perilous precedent that undermines impeachment as a means for exacting accountability from the highest officials,” Representatives France Castro, Arlene Brosas and Raoul Manuel said in a joint statement. They asserted that the Constitution explicitly states that once the House of Representatives votes to impeach and transmit the articles to the Senate, the upper chamber&#x27;s role is to conduct a trial, “not to return the articles as if they were defective legislation”. &quot;Hindi pwedeng ibalik sa Kamara ang mga artikulo ng impeachment dahil tapos na ang papel namin dito. Ang responsibilidad ng Senado ay husgahan ang kaso, hindi ibalik ito. Bilang co-equal na kamara, wala itong karapatang pagpaliwanagin ang Kongreso sa prosesong humantong sa impeachment ng Bise Presidente,&quot; Castro said. For the Makabayan solons, the Senate’s move seeks to “protect those in power from accountability”. “The Senate&#x27;s decision effectively nullifies the House&#x27;s constitutional prerogative to impeach, and denies the Filipino people their right to see justice served through proper constitutional channels,” they said. &quot;Ang mga mamamayang Pilipino ay hindi tanga. Nakikita nila kung paano ginagamit ang mga institusyon para protektahan ang mga corrupt na opisyal. Ang ganitong klaseng political maneuvering ay lalo lang magpapainit ng galit ng taumbayan,&quot; Manuel added. Progressive group Bayan plans to hold a protest in front of the Senate to express indignation over the impeachment court’s move, which they consider “unacceptable”. “Instead of a trial, we got legal gymnastics that smack of “palusot” after “palusot”. The spineless and weak sauce move to remand the articles of impeachment to the House deserves the strongest condemnation by the people,” Bayan President Renato Reyes Jr. said. “They want us to be consoled by the qualifier that the impeachment has not been dismissed but in reality, what they did was to undo what the Lower House and the people have achieved - the transmittal of the articles of impeachment,” he added.<div>&#x27;MOVING BACKWARDS&#x27;</div> For Atty. Amando Ligutan, lawyer for the complainants in the third impeachment complaint filed against Duterte, the Senate impeachment court’s move is a step backwards. “The Constitution requires the Senate to “proceed” to trial forthwith. It has to move forward to an actual trial. That is what the word “proceed” means. Remanding it to the House of Representatives is not moving forward to a trial. It’s moving backwards. That makes it unconstitutional,” he said. Over four months after the House of Representatives sent the articles of impeachment to the Senate, majority of the senator-judges voted to send it back to House to get their clarification on the issues raised in the impeachment case filed against the vice president. The Senate wants the House to certify that the case did not violate the Constitution. Ligutan asserted that the House’s transmission of the articles of impeachment to the Senate is in itself the “certification”. “That’s the CERTIFICATION that the Senate is asking for. It’s right before their eyes. They just need to OPEN them,” he said.<div> NO OPTION</div> Last week, House impeachment prosecutor Rep. Bel Zamora was asked about the possibility of the Senate returning the articles of impeachment to the lower chamber. She said such an option is not available to the Senate impeachment court, if the Constitution will be followed. “Under the Constitution, their sole duty is to try the case, to have a trial because they are the impeachment court after receiving the article. So wala silang ibang option but to hold trial. So kung sinasabi nila na return to sender, bawal po ‘yan under our Constitution. Wala pong ganyang option. Kailangan tumuloy sa trial,” she told the media last Friday. “Returning it to sender or dismissing the impeachment complaint right away are unconstitutional acts. So hindi na rin po pag-uusapan kung tatanggapin ‘yun ng House, ‘yung articles of impeachment kung isoli,” Zamora added.

Some lawmakers and groups have described as “unconstitutional” the move of the Senate sitting as an impeachment court to return to the House of Representatives the articles of impeachment it filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Some lawmakers and groups have described as “unconstitutional” the move of the Senate sitting as an impeachment court to return to the House of Representatives the articles of impeachment it filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.

'Unconstitutional': Senate’s 'return' of Sara impeachment complaint to House draws brickbats

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'Unconstitutional': Senate’s 'return' of Sara impeachment complaint to House draws brickbats

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 11, 2025 12:05 AM PHT

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Updated Jun 11, 2025 12:14 AM PHT

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