The Senate has decided to archive the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, following a Supreme Court decision that declared the proceedings unconstitutional.
After intense deliberations on Wednesday, 19 senators—including Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero—voted in favor of Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva’s motion to transfer the impeachment articles to the archives. Four senators opposed the move, while Sen. Panfilo Lacson abstained, saying he preferred to wait for a final ruling from the High Court.
The motion came after the Supreme Court en banc ruled on July 25 that the impeachment articles against Duterte were “null and void ab initio” and that the Senate never acquired jurisdiction over the case.
“In adherence to the immediately executory decision rendered by the Supreme Court… I move to transfer the Articles of Impeachment… to the archives,” Villanueva stated during session.
The decision was not unanimous. Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III raised an objection and called for a nominal vote, insisting that the Senate had already convened as an impeachment court in June 2025 and should not abandon its jurisdiction so readily.
“They even wore robes. That robe shouldn’t just be for movies or TV shows,” Sotto remarked in Filipino, expressing frustration over the implication that the Senate never had authority over the case.
Escudero clarified that convening as an impeachment court was a matter of record, but that legally, jurisdiction was never acquired due to the SC’s ruling. “That factual situation still exists and is part of our records,” he said, noting that archiving the case was the most legally consistent option under the circumstances.
Sotto had earlier tried to block the original motion to dismiss by proposing it be tabled—a move backed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros—but this was rejected in a 19-5 vote.
The Supreme Court’s decision hinged on the constitutional rule that prohibits the initiation of more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a year. The court found that the fourth complaint against Duterte, backed by 215 lawmakers, was transmitted to the Senate after three earlier ones had already been filed in December 2024.
The Senate had been scheduled to resume the impeachment trial on August 4 but chose instead to deliberate in plenary in light of the SC’s verdict.
Escudero left the door open for future action, noting, “If the Supreme Court reverses itself… then we will entertain a motion to bring [the case] out of the archives and act accordingly again.”
