Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776758551076VPSARA AND TITO SOTTO 04212026.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"></span></span></span></div><p>Vice President Sara Duterte and Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</p><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/>MANILA — The Senate will act forthwith and immediately convene the impeachment court if ever the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte are transmitted to the upper chamber, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Tuesday. <div></div><p>Sotto said the Senate impeachment court can convene a day after the transmittal of the articles of impeachment and have the trial after two weeks. </p><p>The House of Representatives’ Committee on Justice intends to finish its clarificatory hearings on April 29 and have the committee report passed when session resumes on May 4.</p><p>“Let&#x27;s say by May 5 mag-convene, within a month, matagal na yun. Matagal na yun. Ako, tingin ko, mga, in a matter of two weeks, more or less two weeks, siguro nakahanda na yun,” Sotto said.  </p><p>Sotto expects the House to vote on the articles of impeachment in the first week of May.</p><p>“I will act on it with dispatch. Definitely forthwith. As soon as the Senate receives it, I will inform the Senate and refer it to the Committee on Rules,” Sotto said. </p><p>He added that they would balance their function as a legislative body and an impeachment court. </p><p>Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has suggested holding impeachment proceedings every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. </p><p>“We need the consent of the majority of the members of the Senate. Baka maging 3 p.m. ang sessions because yun ang nakalagay sa rules namin, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3 p.m to sawa. And then, ang impeachment court based on the impeachment rules is 2 p.m. up,” Sotto said.</p><p>“Yun ang nakalagay sa rules, sa current rules. And I doubt if we need to change the rules. In effect, kung tutuusin, wala kaming nilagay na sunset provision doon sa impeachment rules noong panahon ni Justice Corona. So kung tutuusin, we can easily adopt it. And I suggest that we adopt it because malawak na yun. In the rules, it also includes the rules of court as suppletory. So lahat ng kakailanganin namin sa impeachment ay naroroon na eh sa rules na yun,” he said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/27/tro-sought-vs-sara-duterte-impeachment-proceedings-1411">Supreme Court asked to issue TRO sought vs Sara Duterte impeachment proceedings </a></div><p>Sotto clarified that having a session in the morning and the impeachment trial in the afternoon was also a possibility that they would have to discuss. </p><p>“Probably we can call for a caucus before session starts. Before May 4. Siguro the weekend of May, I may call for a caucus para yung ibang mga kasama natin lahat, marinig na natin,” he said. </p><p>The Senate has not yet started preparing for the impeachment trial, which Sotto said would be a “mountainous task,” especially since everything should be open to the public.  </p><p>He clarified that they were not acting prematurely and instead just making sure that they would be ready in case of transmittal. </p><p>Sotto added that he was being helped by a number of lawyers and at least two justices in his preparation. </p><p>He said one of his intentions in inviting some majority senators who were in town to <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/20/sotto-majority-meet-over-chances-of-vp-sara-impeachment-reaching-senate-1247">dinner last week</a> was to advise them to prepare and review the rules of court. Eight or nine senators attended. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>APPEAL FOR IMPARTIALITY </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Although some senators have openly expressed their support for the Vice President, Sotto still appealed for impartiality as senator-judges. </p><p>“I would like to think that all 24 senators are impartial and should be and must be impartial. We not only must be impartial, we should look impartial. Kaya kahit na may kakampi siya o may kakampi si ganito o may kalaban si ganito, mali yung pagbibintangan agad natin. Mali yun,” Sotto said. </p><p>Asked about the allegation of former Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo that he, Lacson, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros, and Senator Francis Pangilinan would vote to convict Duterte, Sotto responded, “Yung mga maruruming alegasyon, eh iwan na lang natin sa basurahan kasi maling-mali yun… You’re not contributing to the wellness of the country.” </p><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/k-cohpED05s?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div>

<p>The Senate will act forthwith and immediately convene the impeachment court if ever the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte are transmitted to the upper chamber, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Tuesday.</p>

The Senate will act forthwith and immediately convene the impeachment court if ever the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte are transmitted to the upper chamber, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Tuesday.

Sotto: Senate to act forthwith on articles of impeachment, may convene court a day after transmittal

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Sotto: Senate to act forthwith on articles of impeachment, may convene court a day after transmittal

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 21, 2026 04:02 PM PHT

Read More:

impeachment

sara duterte

tito sotto

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