In this photo, Senators Ping Lacson, Tito Sotto, Risa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan during the debate regarding to “archive” the previous impeachment case of Sara Duterte. (Wikimedia Creative Commons)
Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday underscored the need for impartiality among senators as the prospect of an impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte draws closerโwhile political undercurrents raise questions on whether the Senate can maintain neutrality.
The House of Representatives of the Philippines committee on justice continues its hearings to determine probable cause, with proceedings expected to conclude by April 29. Should the House approve and transmit the Articles of Impeachment, the Senate will convene as an impeachment court, with senators acting as judges.
Sotto said the chamber is preparing for โany eventuality,โ noting he has already alerted colleagues about the possibility of receiving the Articles.
โOur rules are in place. I am brushing up on a combination of the Rules of Court and impeachment procedures,โ he said in a Viber message, adding he would remind senators to remain impartial if a trial proceeds.
The Senate has begun internal preparations, echoing earlier remarks from Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson that lawmakers are undergoing a crash course on legal procedures, including the Rules of Court and the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure.
โI am undergoing a crash program on the Rules of Court to jibe with our own rules,โ Sotto said, stressing that it is โbestโ for senators to be ready in their role as senator-judges.
But even before a formal trial begins, public commentary has begun to test the notion of impartiality.
Sotto pushed back against former presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, who earlier claimed that only four senators โ including Sotto โ would vote to convict Duterte.
โDoes Atty. Panelo have a crystal ball? We will remain impartial and wait for whatever will be presented. I resent that allegation,โ Sotto said.
Other senators mentioned in reports were Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, and Risa Hontiveros.
The remarks highlight the political pressures surrounding the case, where affiliations and prior statements could come under scrutiny once senators take on their quasi-judicial role.
This would not be the first time impeachment proceedings against Duterte reaches the Senate. In February 2025, the House transmitted Articles of Impeachment accusing her of high crimes, including corruption and alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The complaint also cited the alleged misuse of hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which Duterte previously headed.
As the House moves toward a decision, the spotlight is not only on the charges themselves. It is also on whether the Senateโdeeply embedded in the countryโs political landscapeโcan be impartial.
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