Overdue process of law

Unlike his immediate predecessor, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III has vowed to "act with dispatch, forthwith" on any new impeachment case that might be elevated to the present Upper Chamber. Sotto committed this amid reported plans by certain groups to initiate a new complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte as soon as the one-year ban on filing an impeachment case against her lapses on Feb. 6.

- MARICHU A. VILLANUEVA

Reacting to Sotto, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon surmised the senators can start immediately the process of bringing out from the Senate archives the Articles of Impeachment against VP Duterte. At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum last Wednesday, Ridon noted the ruling administration bloc in the present 20th Congress remains hopeful the Supreme Court (SC) will resolve soon the pending motion for reconsideration (MR) of the Lower House.

Once the SC resolution is handed down on or before the expiry of the one-year ban on new impeachment complaints on VP Duterte, Ridon said the impeachment trial can immediately proceed. Once the "unarchiving" is done as the first step, Ridon explained, then the Senate can proceed with the impeachment trial as the "logical consequence" if a favorable SC ruling on the House MR will come out.

Ridon specifically referred to the impeachment complaint approved by the defunct 19th Congress that was elevated to the Upper Chamber before its sessions were adjourned Feb. 5 last year. A total of 215 House members of the 19th Congress signed the fourth impeachment complaint against VP Duterte.

The Upper Chamber, headed then by Senate president Francis "Chiz" Escudero, came under intense criticisms for not acting "forthwith" on the impeachment complaint as mandated under the 1987 Constitution. Thus, the pending VP Duterte's impeachment case crossed over to the 20th Congress. Then as the Senate minority leader, Sotto joined three other senators in voting against archiving VP Duterte's impeachment case.