Vol. 20 No. 845 JUNE 16-29, 2025
In this photo provided by the Senate Social Media Unit, Philippine Senators take oath as jurors in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Philippine Senate in Pasay city, Philippines on Tuesday June 10, 2025. Credit: AP/Voltaire Fernandez Domingo
MANILA, June 11 (Mabuhay) -- The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, voted 18–5 on Tuesday night to return the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte to the House of Representatives, rejecting calls for outright dismissal while leaving the case technically alive for further action. The motion, introduced by Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano, was presented as a compromise to preserve constitutional integrity without prematurely terminating the case. The motion explicitly stated that the return of the articles would not constitute dismissal or final judgment. “The effect of this is only about four days. It won’t delay the proceedings and will even help the 20th Congress,” Cayetano told reporters in an ambush interview, saying the move allows the
next Congress to act with greater clarity and legitimacy. Those who voted against the motion were Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe and Sherwin Gatchalian. Hontiveros delivered a strong dissent, criticizing the language of the motion as vague and legally problematic. “The wording of the approved motion introduces unnecessary ambiguity to the already politically charged proceedings,” she said. “Wala pong remand o return sa konstitusyon. Ang obligation natin (There is no remand or return in the constitution. Our obligation), try and decide,” she added. She argued that if clarifications were needed, the Senate could have asked
the House prosecution panel to file a formal compliance instead of sending the complaint back. Votes for remand Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, who voted in the affirmative, said his decision was anchored in experience and a commitment to constitutional order. “That’s why I feel strongly about following each step in the Constitution. It’s a sensitive matter that I take to heart,” he said, recalling the aborted impeachment of his father, former president Joseph Estrada. Estrada emphasized that while impeachment is inherently political, the process must adhere to rules to avoid being arbitrary or agenda-driven.
IMPEACHMENT CONT’D ON PAGE A4