Pasay City, Philippines — Senate on June 10, sitting as an impeachment court, voted 18–5 to return the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives without dismissing or terminating the case.
Following hours of debate, Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano moved to amend a motion by Senator-judge Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who had initially proposed to dismiss the case.
Cayetano’s motion was presented as a compromise, aiming to preserve constitutional integrity without prematurely ending the proceedings.
“Ang dismissal—ibasura. I am not proposing na ibasura, ‘yon nga ang pakiusap ko kay Senator Bato and I will restate it. Yung ituloy—dalawang klaseng ituloy,” Cayetano explained.
The motion explicitly stated that the return of the articles would not be considered a dismissal or a final judgment.
In an interview, Cayetano emphasized that this motion would not delay the proceedings, rather, it will provide the 20th Congress clearer direction and legitimacy when they take up the matter.
“Yung remand ay ibalik sa House. Ang akin pong amendment ay ibalik sa House at ipa-certify sa House na number 1, including the circumstances na hindi nila na-violate yung Konstitusyon in entertaining more than one impeachment complaint in on year. Number 2: na interesado silang ituloy ang impeachment complaint,” he compromised.
Those who voted against the motion involved Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Sherwin Gatchalian.
Hontiveros, in particular, delivered a strong dissent, criticizing the motion’s language as vague and legally problematic. — Ruzzel Andante, Contributor