Jamaine Punzalan

Vice President Sara Duterte joins Former President and Pampanga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the 2025 KASARILAYAAN Pride Reception on Wednesday, June 25, at the LausGroup Event Centre in San Fernando, Pampanga. 

The annual gathering brings together LGBTQIA+ community leaders, advocates, and allies to celebrate Pride Month and highlight ongoing efforts toward inclusivity, equality, and the empowerment of the LGBTQIA+ sector.
Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

PRIDE MONTH EVENT- VP Sara

Rowegie Abanto

ABS-CBN News

<div><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DDDV5QoTa9g" title="Senate Vote on VP Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial | an ABS-CBN News Special Live Coverage" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>MANILA — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Wednesday urged senators to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, citing a Supreme Court ruling that blocked her Senate trial. </p><p>In a privilege speech, Marcoleta brought up the SC decision that declared the impeachment case unconstitutional for violating a ban on multiple impeachment proceedings against an official within a year.</p><p>Marcoleta added that the initial impeachment proceedings &quot;were deemed to have been terminated at the expiration of the 19th Congress&quot; and that the impeachment supposedly violated due process. </p><div><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uZARYHFDdAE" title="Marcoleta moves to dismiss impeachment case vs VP Sara" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>SC RULING REVERSAL &#x27;NOT IMPOSSIBLE&#x27;</strong></div><p>But Sen. Vicente &quot;Tito&quot; Sotto III argued that the reversal of the Supreme Court&#x27;s own decision &quot;is not impossible.&quot; </p><p>He said the Senate should just wait for the Supreme Court to rectify its &quot;mistakes.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Even Supreme Court ka, pwedeng mag-commit ng grave abuse of discretion or culpable violation of the constitution,&quot; Sotto said.</p><p>He raised the &quot;danger&quot; of an outright dismissal of the impeachment case based on a decision that &quot;is not yet final and still pending appeal.&quot;</p><p>Sotto ended his speech by moving to table Marcoleta&#x27;s motion to dismiss the impeachment case of Duterte. </p><div><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2dT8I0wRYyM" title="Senate debate: Sotto disputes Marcoleta&#x27;s claims on VP Sara&#x27;s impeachment" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Sen. Ping Lacson asserted: &quot;Wala po sa rules natin yung motion to dismiss. So anong guidelines ang susundin natin in addressing the motion to dismiss?&quot;</p><p>Senate President Francis Escudero noted that this was previously &quot;done although not via a motion to dismiss, but a motion to archive in relation to the impeachment complaints of then President [Joseph] Estrada and then Ombudsman [Merceditas] Gutierrez.&quot;</p><p>Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros meanwhile said that the Senate should tackle the motions as an impeachment court, urging the chamber to have the newly-elected senators take their oath first.</p><p>Escudero however quoted the Supreme Court ruling saying that the Senate did not acquire jurisdiction to constitute itself as an impeachment court.</p><p>He had said that the Senate does not need to convene as an impeachment court again to vote on the Supreme Court ruling.</p><div><br/><br/><strong>MARCOLETA AGREES TO AMENDMENT</strong></div><p>Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said that since senators &quot;disagree slightly&quot; with the motion to dismiss, Marcoleta should consider an amendment for the Senate to obey the Supreme Court ruling instead.</p><p>Marcoleta replied that he was &quot;amenable to an amendment, like moving it, sending it to the archives.&quot;</p><div><br/><strong>HONTIVEROS SECONDS MOTION TO TABLE</strong></div><p><strong></strong>Meanwhile, Hontiveros seconded the motion of Sotto to table the motion to dismiss the impeachment case &quot;until the decision of the Supreme Court has attained finality.&quot;</p><p>She explained that tabling the motion to dismiss &quot;is not defiance of the Supreme Court&quot; because there is no final decision yet.</p><p>&quot;Kahit ang Korte Suprema hinihintay pa ang comment ng VP,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;We should exercise extraordinary prudence in this matter of transcendental importance,&quot; Hontiveros said, stressing she nonetheless respects the high court.</p><p>&quot;Hindi naman po ibig sabihin ng respeto ay pananahimik, lalo na kapag inisip natin kung gaano kalaki ang nakataya dito,&quot; she added.</p><div><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dJxcyTNSwZM" title="Risa, Ping, Kiko urge oath-taking of new senators as impeachment judges" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>BACKGROUND</strong></div><p>This is the first time that 20th Congress senators tackled the impeachment complaint against the vice president. </p><p>The Senate in the 19th Congress briefly convened as an impeachment court in June, only to send back the case to the House of Representatives, questioning its constitutionality. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/29/escudero-no-need-to-convene-senate-impeachment-court-after-supreme-court-ruling-on-duterte-case-1428">Escudero says no need to convene Senate impeachment court again after Supreme Court ruling on Duterte case</a></div><p>In late July, less than two weeks before the Senate began its new session, the Supreme Court ruled that that a trio of earlier complaints logged against Duterte in the House -- but voted on only at the committee level -- had constituted impeachment proceedings.</p><p>The court said a fresh impeachment attempt could be introduced, but not before February 6, 2026.</p><p>But some legal experts contend that the Supreme Court ruled based on an incorrect factual timeline, with the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/4/house-appeals-supreme-court-ruling-on-sara-duterte-impeachment-1610">House of Representatives in its motion for reconsideration</a> saying that the fourth impeachment articles had been transmitted first before the archiving of the previous complaints.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/5/what-to-expect-at-aug-6-senate-impeachment-debates-1730">What to expect at Aug 6 Senate impeachment debates</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/1/congress-constitutional-authority-over-impeachment-should-be-respected-up-law-faculty-1535">Congress&#x27; constitutional authority over impeachment should be respected: UP Law faculty</a></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FabscbnNEWS%2Fvideos%2F634896182498596%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>SENATORS URGED TO BE CAUTIOUS </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Some senators suggested waiting for the high court to resolve with finality the motions for reconsideration against the ruling.</p><p>Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he agreed with his legal staff and other observers that the House&#x27;s motion for reconsideration, through the Office of the Solicitor General, was &quot;very well-written and argued why the Court should take a second look at the case at bar.&quot;</p><p>He told his colleagues that &quot;best to exercise prudence and wait for the SC to rule with finality.&quot;</p><p>Sen. Bam Aquino told ANC on Tuesday, &quot;Mahalaga rin yung argumento na bakit tayo nagmamadali, meron pa namang motion for reconsideration yung House of Representatives. Bakit hindi natin hintayin kung ano yung magiging desisyon ng Supreme Court?&quot;</p><p>(The argument about why we are rushing is also important. The House of Representatives still has a motion for reconsideration. Why don&#x27;t we wait for the Supreme Court&#x27;s decision first?)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/5/senators-urged-to-wait-for-sc-to-resolve-motion-on-vp-duterte-impeach-ruling-1140">&#x27;Bakit tayo nagmamadali?&#x27; Senators urged to wait for SC to resolve motion on VP Duterte impeach ruling</a></div><p>A day before the Senate debates, coalition <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/5/supreme-court-asked-to-declare-status-quo-before-senate-tackles-ruling-on-sara-duterte-impeachment-1737">1Sambayan asked the Supreme Court to issue a status quo ante order</a> amid the possibility that the Senate will vote to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Duterte.</p><p>Paolo Tamase, University of the Philippines College of Law assistant professor, said on Tuesday that if the Senate wanted to give the Supreme Court a chance to resolve its decision with finality, it would be better to take a &quot;more conservative&quot; approach by not dismissing the case just yet.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/6/sc-decision-could-create-momentum-for-vp-sara-before-2028-polls-analyst-1002">SC decision could create momentum for VP Sara before 2028 polls - analyst</a></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FabscbnNEWS%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0ZcFj8kSUAzy8jKhvVBP8muLQX6XPtBR1H4hs2TpiBpofPw6Qn1DfA1J7f2mGXwUzl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="703" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><strong>&#x27;UP TO 20 SENATORS MAY VOTE TO ABIDE BY SC RULING&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada last week said that as many as 19 to 20 senators could vote to comply with the Supreme Court ruling throwing out the impeachment case.</p><p>On Monday, Sen. Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; dela Rosa also urged his fellow senators to respect the ruling of the Supreme Court, saying in a statement that he would not sign any resolution seeking to push through with the impeachment trial of Duterte.</p><p>Meanwhile, Sen. Imee Marcos argued against waiting for the Supreme Court to resolve the appeal before the Senate moves.</p><p>&quot;The Impeachment Court/Senate cannot simply choose which part of the decision it will comply with. The SC said immediately executory. If we subscribe to the view that we should wait the resolution of the MRs, then we would not be respecting the &#x27;immediately executory&#x27; portion of the decision. Worse, we will be reducing the decision to a mere TRO/Status quo ante order which is not the intent of the SC,&quot; Marcos said.</p><p>On Wednesday, Duterte&#x27;s office said its <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/6/-tuloy-ang-trabaho-says-sara-duterte-s-office-ahead-of-senate-debate-on-sc-impeach-ruling-1145">work continues</a> whether or not the impeachment trial would push through.</p><p>The House of Representatives impeached Duterte in early February, charging the vice president with graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against one-time ally and former running mate President Ferdinand Marcos.</p><p>Widely expected to run for president in 2028, a Senate trial conviction would have barred Duterte permanently from public office.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FabscbnNEWS%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0d1pFC97fkkUM6ycJmcRfX2e2EBE5CeGvixSEgGf47Rne6VuccfAqcVJHr6MYUQfGl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="653" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><strong>—with reports from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse<br/></strong></div>

<p>Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Wednesday urged senators to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, citing a Supreme Court ruling that blocked her impeachment trial.</p>

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Wednesday urged senators to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, citing a Supreme Court ruling that blocked her impeachment trial.

Marcoleta moves to dismiss Sara Duterte impeachment case

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Marcoleta moves to dismiss Sara Duterte impeachment case

Rowegie Abanto,

Jamaine Punzalan,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 06, 2025 02:55 PM PHT

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Updated August 06, 2025 05:38 PM PHT

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