VP Duterte may lose chance to defend self

Draft resolution to dismiss impeachment case circulates in Senate; Chiz denies existence

- By HANNAH TORREGOZA and DHEL NAZARIO

A draft resolution seeking the de facto dismissal of the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte is now making the rounds in the Senate.

Should this succeed, this would deprive Vice President Duterte the chance to clear her name in the right forum. She had earlier expressed her desire to face the impeachment trial for the chance to clear herself of the allegations against her.

However, Senate President Francis Escudero on Wednesday, June 4, denied the resolution's existence.

"As of last night, even this morning, I asked about it because of media inquiries, but there is no such resolution filed or pending in the Senate," Escudero said.

But Sen. Imee Marcos, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, and senatorelect Panfilo Lacson claimed to have seen copies of the circulating draft resolution.

Resolution faces challenges Lacson confirmed receiving a copy of the "undated, unnumbered, unauthored" document, but said he believes the draft resolution will face many challenges before it can achieve its goal, saying it may be overturned by the Supreme Court.

"I received a copy of the draft resolution from an insider in the Senate.

It is making the rounds in the Senate so that if it gets enough signatures, it can be debated upon and possibly adopted if it has the support of the majority," Lacson said in an interview on Radio DZMM. "But this is a resolution that can still be questioned before the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the petitioner, it can compel the Senate to continue with the impeachment trial." The draft resolution sought the dismissal of the impeachment complaint against the second top official of the land citing a lapse of more than 100 days since the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate without any corresponding action from the Senate-which is set to adjourn sine die on June 14.