DAVAO CITY – Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team welcomed on Wednesday evening, August 6, the Senate’s decision to archive the impeachment articles filed against her, stating that their attention will now turn to addressing the matter before the Supreme Court.
The Defense Team acknowledges the Senate’s decision to adhere to the Supreme Court ruling and archive the Articles of Impeachment. We focus on submitting our Comment, complying with the High Court’s order,” said Michael Wesley Poa, vice president’s legal counsel.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 19–4–1 in favor of archiving the impeachment complaint, effectively pausing proceedings while a motion for reconsideration remains pending before the Supreme Court.
The decision came after the Court, on July 25, ruled that the filing violated the 1987 Constitution’s one-year prohibition on multiple impeachment complaints against the same official, nullifying the Senate’s jurisdiction over the case.
The ruling has stirred debate within the chamber.
Minority Leader Senator Tito Sotto and Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed concern that shelving the case could lead to its quiet dismissal.
However, Senate President Francis Escudero clarified that archiving does not equate to termination, and the Senate retains the option to revive the complaint should the Supreme Court overturn its earlier ruling.
The move to archive followed a six-hour deliberation, culminating in Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva’s amendment to a prior motion to dismiss, initially filed by Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
Villanueva’s revised motion, seen as a compromise, won majority support.
Voting against the motion were Senators Sotto, Hontiveros, Paolo Benigno Aquino, and Francis Pangilinan, all voicing concern over the implications of shelving the complaint.
Senator Panfilo Lacson abstained, citing the lack of finality in the Supreme Court’s decision.
“I would rather wait, not preempt, the final ruling of the High Court,” Lacson said.
The House of Representatives has filed a motion for reconsideration through the Office of the Solicitor General, seeking a reversal of the July 25 ruling. (Ivy Tejano)
