Senate archives VP Sara impeachment

Chiz: Case can still be revived

- By MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

Nineteen senators last night voted to archive the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte as they wait for the Supreme Court (SC) to resolve the appeals on its landmark but controversial decision finding the impeachment complaint unconstitutional.

Four senators — Minority Leader Tito Sotto, Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino — voted against the motion, while Sen. Panfilo Lacson abstained.

Senators voted to "transfer the Articles of Impeachment to the archives, adhering to the immediately executory decision rendered by the SC en banc, which held that the Articles of Impeachment are null and void ab initio, and that the Senate did not acquire jurisdiction over the same."

Senate President Francis Escudero said while they voted to archive the case, the senators may still vote to revive the case and bring it out of the archives if the high court reverses its decision and orders the Senate to continue to trial.

The archiving was seen as a compromise instead of the outright dismissal of the case, as proposed by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who said it was unlikely for the SC to reverse its own unanimous decision.

Senators deliberated for about six hours before reaching a final vote to archive the case.

Sen. Pia Cayetano said being voided ab initio meant that the impeachment complaint was "inexistent from the very beginning and inoperative."

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said he is for archiving the case, as he recalled his role to move for the impeachment dismissal as early as June 10, the date of the Senate impeachment court’s first and only convening.

Explaining his vote to abstain, Lacson said that while he respected the Supreme Court’s decision, he also agreed that the ruling has not yet attained finality.

“Without the words ‘immediately executory’ and the phrase on 25 July 2025 which held, among others, that the Articles of Impeachment are null and void