VP impeachment trial won’t disrupt legislative work, Sotto says

SENATE PRESIDENT Vicente C. Sotto III on Tuesday said the Senate is prepared to convene as an impeachment court when session resumes once the articles of impeachment against Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio reach the chamber but assured that the trial won’t disrupt legislative work.

In a media briefing, Mr. Sotto said the Senate may convene by May 4 if the articles of impeachment are transmitted once session resumes, eyeing Monday to Wednesday afternoons for the trial schedule.

“Originally, I was thinking of a whole-day session. Senate in the morning, impeachment court in the afternoon,” Mr. Sotto said. “We really need the Senate to keep going because we have sessions until June. We can’t neglect legislative work.”

However, Mr. Sotto also considered Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo M. Lacson’s suggestion to conduct the impeachment trials on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with Tuesdays and Thursdays for legislative work.

Mr. Sotto noted he may call for a caucus before the session resumes to finalize the schedule, noting that the majority of the Senate has also been preparing for the trials in the event that the impeachment reaches them.

“I will act on it with dispatch. Definitely forthwith. As soon as the Senate receives it, I will inform the Senate and refer it to the Committee on Rules,” he told reporters.

Article XI, Section 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution gives the Senate the power to convene as an impeachment court provided that at least a third of the House of Representatives affirms the complaint, with trials mandated to “proceed forthwith.”

In February 2025, Ms. Duterte was impeached in the House of Representatives with 215 congressmen signing the impeachment complaint. However, the Senate in August last year voted to archive the impeachment articles following a Supreme Court ruling that declared the proceedings unconstitutional.

While the archived articles of impeachment may be revived with majority approval, Mr. Sotto said it will remain in the archives.

In preparation for impeachment trials, Mr. Sotto, who will sit as the presiding officer, said he is taking a “crash program” on impeachment rules through the assistance of legal experts and at least two justices.

“I’ll have another two programs next week. Just in case. As I said, just in case,” Mr. Sotto said in a mix of English and Filipino. “Because at the moment, we can’t say what the House will send us, and I don’t want to meddle with what’s happening there to preserve my impartiality.”

He also called on his fellow senator-judges to practice impartiality in the proceedings, stressing that the impeachment court’s decision must be based on evidence. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel