Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday assured the public that the Senate would immediately move to convene as an impeachment court once it receives the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“We won’t delay. We won’t delay. There’s no reasons, ’di ba?” Cayetano told reporters.
The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on Monday after 257 lawmakers voted in favor of the impeachment complaints, far beyond the constitutional requirement needed to elevate the case to the Senate.
The complaints against the Vice President involve allegations of misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, and supposed threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.
Earlier the same day, Cayetano replaced former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III in a dramatic leadership change inside the Senate.
Despite speculation linking the leadership shake-up to Duterte’s impeachment case, Cayetano denied the move was connected to the proceedings.
“The country needs us in other capacities,” Cayetano said. “So the longer this drags out, the more the attention natin nandiyan. But it’s such an important accountability process, so we will give it full attention.”
Cayetano said the Articles of Impeachment would first be referred to the Senate Rules Committee once formally transmitted by the House.
“There won’t be delays,” he stressed, while noting that the exact timing of the transmission remains uncertain.
The new Senate President also announced plans to hold an all-member caucus to discuss the impeachment process and other legislative priorities.
The Senate is constitutionally mandated to convene as an impeachment court to try impeachment cases elevated by the House of Representatives. Convicting Duterte would require the votes of at least two-thirds of all senators.
The Vice President’s impeachment marks the first time in Philippine history that a sitting vice president has been impeached twice.
Political observers are closely watching whether the Senate leadership change could affect the pace and direction of the historic impeachment proceedings.
