Jinggoy: At least 19 senators to abide by SC ruling on VP Sara impeachment

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said 19 to 20 senators are likely to adhere to the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) that declared the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional.

"Karamihan ng sentimyento ng kapwa senador ko (The sentiment of most of my fellow senators) is to abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court," Estrada said, noting that the matter was discussed during the senators' caucus on Tuesday.

"Unang-una sa body language, pangalawa sa salita nila, mahahalata mo naman kung sino eh," he added.

(One can discern where they stand based on their body language and their words.) 

Voting 13-0-2, the SC last week declared the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, stressing that it is barred by the one-year rule under the Constitution and that it violates her right to due process.

The high court said the Senate cannot acquire jurisdiction over the impeachment proceedings.

However, the SC said it is not absolving Duterte from any of the charges against her and that any subsequent impeachment complaint may be filed starting February 6, 2026.

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero earlier shared his personal opinion on the matter, saying that the SC decision must be followed "otherwise, [we] will have a constitutional crisis, and our neighboring countries and other people might view us as a banana republic where we only follow what we want."

Estrada echoed this, saying that the Senate is "going to flirt for a constitutional crisis" if the SC ruling is not followed. He also pointed out that the decision is immediately executory even though a motion for reconsideration (MR) may still be filed.

"No more [trial] because ang sabi ng Supreme Court, ang desisyon ng Supreme Court, the Senate has no jurisdiction dahil unconstitutional ang finile ng House of Representatives. We don't have any jurisdiction anymore and the Senate will not convene as the impeachment court because we don't have the jurisdiction," the Senate President Pro Tempore explained.

(There's no more trial because based on the decision of the Supreme Court, the Senate has no jurisdiction because what the House of Representatives filed was unconstitutional. We don't have any jurisdiction anymore and the Senate will not convene as the impeachment court because of that.) 

While he was open to hearing arguments on the matter, Estrada said his decision will not change. 

"Hindi because I will abide with the decision of the Supreme Court. Kahit na maganda ang kanilang dahilan, ultimately ang Supreme Court ang masusunod hindi naman sila. Unless 'pag na-file ang House ng MR at ma-reverse, we will abide with the ruling," he added.

(No, because I will abide by the decision of the Supreme Court. Even if others have good reasons not to do the same, the Supreme Court has the final say, not them. Unless the House files a motion for reconsideration and the decision is reversed, we will abide by the ruling.) 

The Senate is set to discuss the SC decision on August 6, 2025, according to Escudero. 

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan earlier said he has been in talks with senators since Monday about signing a resolution he drafted with Senators Risa Hontiveros and Bam Aquino on how they can proceed with Duterte's impeachment trial despite the SC decision.

Hontiveros also said a total of four senators, including herself, have signed the resolution so far, with the hope that they will gain the support of others. 

The House of Representatives, on the other hand, is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration on the SC decision, arguing that the ruling was based on what it described as incorrect findings that contradict official records. — VDV, GMA Integrated News