Senator Robin Padilla has filed a resolution calling for the termination of impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, arguing that the process can no longer proceed due to time constraints under Senate rules.
Padilla filed Senate Resolution No. 1371 late Monday afternoon while debates were ongoing on Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel’s call to convene the Senate as an impeachment court. In his resolution, Padilla stressed that the House of Representatives transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate last February 5, but the matter was never referred to the plenary.
Citing a Senate rule that automatically ends all pending matters at the close of a Congress, Padilla said, “The Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte is one such pending matter, and the consideration thereof is one such pending proceeding.”
He argued that with the 19th Congress ending on June 30, the Senate would not have enough time to complete the trial. “It is indubitably clear that the matter of the Articles of Impeachment… cannot be fully accomplished,” he stated.
This echoes earlier sentiments raised by Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, who warned on June 2 that the impeachment case might be considered “functionally dismissed by constitutional operation” if unresolved by the end of the current Congress.
A similar position was also backed by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in a draft resolution he acknowledged authoring, which pointed out that the case was transmitted at a time when Congress was about to enter a lengthy break.
The Senate, led by President Francis Escudero, initially scheduled to start the trial proceedings on June 2 and 3, later rescheduled it to June 11 to prioritize passing key legislation before adjournment. The 20th Congress will open on July 28.
