Four vacant seats in the Senate impeachment court have become the crux of the fight over how many votes are needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte. On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, the question of why those seats are empty left one senator-judge visibly emotional on the floor.
Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta are in detention over plunder and related cases. Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has not attended the trial because he is in hiding from an International Criminal Court warrant over his alleged role in the drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Sen. Loren Legarda is on medical leave.
Sen. Camille Villar rose after Sen. Erwin Tulfo remarked on those absences. She objected to what she saw as colleagues being branded plunderers and thieves when no court has found any of them guilty.
“I think it’s unfair to call them out that their crimes are of plunder and of theft because none of those senators have been convicted,” Villar said.
She repeated the point in Filipino: “Lahat naman po nang wala dito, hindi naman po sila napatunayan na may sala. Hindi po sila plunderer, hindi po sila magnanakaw, hindi po sila napatunayan na gano’n.” (None of those absent have been proven guilty. They are not plunderers, they are not thieves, and nothing of the sort has been proven against them.)
Villar also said the absences were involuntary.
“I think we should be reminded that the senators that are being detained and who are not here right now, that is not their choice,” she said.
Villar cited her standing as the chamber’s youngest member and asked the court to keep its exchanges civil.
“And as the youngest member of this august body, can we stop it with these attacks on each other? We are senators of the Philippines. Let us give each other due respect,” she said.
She added that senators owe the same courtesy to the public: “Let’s give Filipinos due respect. Hindi naman tayo pwedeng kung ano-ano na lang sinasabi natin dito tungkol sa mga colleagues natin, ‘di ba? Kunting respeto naman.” (We can’t just say whatever we want here about our colleagues, right? Show a little respect.)
