MANILA, Philippines – The Senate has convened as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, June 10, led by Senate President Chiz Escudero.
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| Photo courtesy: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook |
The historic impeachment robes were once again worn as senators took their oaths and formally became senator-judges. However, out of the 23 senators, only Sen. Robin Padilla, Sen. Cynthia Villar, and Sen. Imee Marcos were not in robes, explaining that there were none available for them.
Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa immediately filed a motion to dismiss the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, which was seconded by Senators Bong Go and Robin Padilla. The three are known as the “Duterte Bloc” in the Senate—senators who are openly supportive of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The motion was opposed by the minority, led by Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel and his colleague, Senator Risa Hontiveros. Senators Francis Tolentino, Joel Villanueva, and Win Gatchalian also gave their arguments on the matter.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano took a more neutral stance, suggesting that while the impeachment could not be outright dismissed, perhaps it could be amended instead.
A brief suspension of the session followed, and upon resumption, the senator-judges held a vote on the motion to remand, or return, the Articles of Impeachment, which had been turned over by the House of Representatives to the Senate back in February 2025. The Senate reasoned that the House appeared to have rushed the process.
Eighteen senator-judges voted in favor of the motion, while five opposed it. There were no abstentions.
The Senate President-Presiding Officer of the Senate Impeachment Court issued a writ of summons to Vice President Duterte’s camp, requiring them to respond to questions related to the Articles of Impeachment. They are given ten days to submit their answer, while House prosecutors are allotted five days to reply afterward. In the meantime, the scheduled reading of the Articles of Impeachment this Wednesday, June 11, has been canceled.
Here are the 18 senator-judges who voted YES to remand the Articles of Impeachment back to the House of Representatives:
- Alan Peter Cayetano
- Pia Cayetano
- Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa
- JV Ejercito
- Chiz Escudero
- Jinggoy Estrada
- Bong Go
- Lito Lapid
- Loren Legarda
- Imee Marcos
- Robin Padilla
- Bong Revilla
- Francis Tolentino
- Raffy Tulfo
- Joel Villanueva
- Cynthia Villar
- Mark Villar
- Migz Zubiri
The 5 senators who voted NO were:
- Nancy Binay
- Win Gatchalian
- Risa Hontiveros
- Koko Pimentel
- Grace Poe
