Marcoleta says basis of impeachment complaint vs VP Sara 'wrong'

Senator-elect Rodante Marcoleta on Saturday said he is “prepared” for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which is expected to start on July 30.

However, Marcoleta stated that it should be discussed whether the impeachment process should go forward or not, as he believes the complaint's foundation was flawed.

“Preparado ako talaga…Pag-debatehan muna natin kung talagang kinakailangan matuloy o hindi,” Marcoleta, an ally of the Dutertes, told reporters.

(I am prepared...We have to debate first whether it should push through or not.)

“Nakita ko kasi kung paano nila inilatag. Mali ang batayan, mali ang proseso,” said Marcoleta, an outgoing congressman who took part in the House investigation into the vice president's confidential funds, whose alleged misuse was cited in the impeachment complaint filed by the House of Representatives.

(I saw how the proponents prepared the complaint. The basis was wrong. The process was wrong.)

He did not elaborate.

Marcoleta, who will sit as one of the 24 senator-judges in Duterte's impeachment trial, was officially proclaimed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as one of the 12 winning senatorial candidates in the 2025 midterm elections.

A conviction needs 16 votes, or two-thirds of the senator-judges. To be acquitted, Duterte needs nine.

Evidence

Senator-elect Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said he is “willing” to join the impeachment trial as he waits for the evidence to be presented by the prosecution and the defense.

“Being part of the 19th Congress and being part of the 20th Congress, I’m willing to participate. Ang importante dito katotohanan. Kung walang ebidensya, wala (What is important here is the truth. If there is no evidence, then you cannot convict someone),” Go said.

Go, a known Duterte ally, topped the senatorial race in Eleksyon 2025 with 27,121,073 votes.

Earlier, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero released an initial timetable for procedures related to the impeachment trial of Duterte, setting the tentative start of the trial on July 30.

Should Escudero’s timeline be followed, the Articles of Impeachment will be presented on June 2 or upon the resumption of sessions, and the impeachment court will be convened the following day.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate the same day, but the upper chamber adjourned without addressing the case.

Meanwhile, Duterte has filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the impeachment complaint.

Lawyers from Mindanao and other groups have also asked the SC to stop the trial, calling the complaint defective.

Another petition filed by lawyer Catalino Generillo Jr. seeks to compel the Senate to convene as an impeachment court immediately. — VBL, GMA Integrated News