The Senate has decided to return the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives.
With an 18-5 vote and no abstentions, the Senate opted to send the complaint back to the lower chamber for further deliberation.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano filed the motion, emphasizing that returning the case does not equate to its dismissal.
Senators Koko Pimentel, Risa Hontiveros, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Sherwin Gatchalian voted against returning the complaint to the House.
Meanwhile, the 18 senators in favor included Cayetano, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Bong Revilla, Imee Marcos, JV Ejercito, Bong Go, Loren Legarda, Robinhood Padilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Francis Tolentino, Joel Villanueva, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Cynthia Villar, Mark Villar, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Raffy Tulfo, and Chiz Escudero.
The impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte was initially filed in the House of Representatives, where it underwent deliberation before being transmitted to the Senate for trial.
However, concerns arose regarding the constitutional validity of the complaint, particularly whether it violated the provision that prohibits initiating impeachment proceedings against the same official more than once within a year.
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa originally moved to dismiss the impeachment case entirely, citing constitutional infirmities.
However, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano proposed an amendment to return the complaint to the House instead of outright dismissal.
The motion was supported by a majority of senators, effectively putting the impeachment trial on hold until the House certifies compliance with constitutional requirements.
Critics, including members of the Senate minority bloc, argue that remanding the case to the House is tantamount to dismissal, as it delays proceedings indefinitely.
Meanwhile, civil society groups have expressed concerns over the Senate’s handling of the impeachment trial, accusing it of stalling the process.