Senators Vote Today on Impeachment Trial

SC tells VP Sara: Comment on House MR

- By MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

The Senate is gearing for a heated debate today as it is set to vote on whether or not to abide by the Supreme Court (SC) ruling striking down the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The Duterte bloc composed of PDP-Laban Senators Ronald dela Rosa, Bong Go and Robinhood Padilla, as well as the group of Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, are sure to clash over the issue, according to Sen. Erwin Tulfo.

The SC, meanwhile, has ordered Vice President Sara Duterte and lawyer Israelito Torreon to comment on the House of Representatives' plea to reverse the high tribunal's ruling that declared as unconstitutional the Articles of Impeachment.

Senators have been urged to defer today's vote on the SC ruling, which is supposed to be immediately executory, until the ruling becomes final once all motions for reconsideration or MR have been resolved.

Duterte and Torreon have 10 days to file their comment on the MR, according to a press briefer from the SC Office of the Spokesperson.

In response, Michael Poa, the spokesman of Duterte's legal team, said they will comply with the order "within the period provided."

Tulfo said he would listen to both positions – the Duterte bloc saying that the Senate should abide by the SC decision to avoid a constitutional crisis, and the Sotto group, which signed a Senate draft resolution urging their colleagues to defer voting on a move to dismiss pending the SC ruling on the House of Representatives’ motion for reconsideration.

“It looks like both sides, they have a point. So it will just go down to your own personal decision on what you believe is right,” he said.

For Senate Deputy Minority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the Senate should respect the current SC decision pending a decision on the motion for reconsideration.