SP Sotto to support Cha-cha moves after SC ruling on impeachment

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Friday maintained that he would support plans to amend the 1987 Constitution, should there be any, after the Supreme Court upheld its ruling that declared the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional.

Sotto said the Senate and House of Representatives leadership should meet in the coming weeks to discuss the matter, stressing that the only solution he could see is to amend the Constitution. 

“Para nilang binago ‘yung mode ng pag-iimpeach. Mas mahirap, mas humirap na ngayon,” the Senate President said. 

(The SC seems to have changed the mode of impeachment. It's more difficult now.) 

“‘Yung option three na tinatawag nilang option two na one-third signatures lang forward na kaagad…kaya nilagay ‘yan para sa isang official, impeachable officer na hindi ginagawa ang trabaho niya o merong maling ginagawa sa trabaho niya o nakakaperwisyo sa bansa, nakakaperwisyo sa ginagawa niya para sa tao ay pwedeng madaling alisin. Hindi pwedeng magtagal. Kaya nilagay ‘yan doon eh. Eh bakit natin pahihirapan ngayon katulad ng ginawa ngayon at humihirap na,” he added. 

(The option three, which they call option two, which provides that when there is one-third signatures it could be forwarded immediately was put there so that an impeachable officer who could not do his/her job or is an inconvenience to the people could be easily removed from office. He or she shouldn’t be sitting for long. That's why it was put there. Why did the SC make it more difficult now?) 

The Supreme Court announced Thursday that the SC En Banc “denied with finality,” by a unanimous vote, the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives, which sought to reverse the decision that declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte as unconstitutional.

The SC en banc affirmed that the fourth impeachment complaint transmitted to the Senate on February 5, 2025, was already barred by Article XI, Section 3, Subsection 5 of the Constitution.

But the Senate President maintained that the SC seemingly changed the rules on impeachment.

“Ako ayoko ng Con-con (Constitutional Convention), ayoko ng Constituent Assembly pero kapag ganyan ang usapan, eh payag na ako,” Sotto said. 

(I don't want a Constitutional Convention, I don't want a Constituent Assembly, but if the case is like that, then I am all for it.) 

He also clarified that his position on the impeachment has nothing to do with personalities, specifically Duterte. 

“It is the principle… Ang legislation ay sa Congress, hindi sa Supreme Court. Kung gusto nating baguhin ang Constitution, let’s use a Constitutional Convention or a Constituent Assembly, hindi sa Supreme Court decision. ‘Yan ang punto ko,” Sotto explained. 

(It is the principle... Legislation is for the Congress, not the Supreme Court. If we want to change the Constitution, let's use a Constitutional Convention or a Constituent Assembly, not a Supreme Court decision. That's my point.) 

To recall, three impeachment complaints were filed against Duterte in December 2024, all of which were connected to the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

It was the fourth impeachment complaint that was endorsed by over one-third of lawmakers from the House of Representatives and was later transmitted to the Senate as the articles of impeachment.

In August last year, the Senate voted to transfer to the archives the articles of impeachment against her, following the SC decision declaring her impeachment unconstitutional. 

Asked about what will happen now to the archived articles of impeachment, Sotto said, “Sa ngayon wala, archived ‘yun dahil dineklara nilang unconstitutional based on some kind of thinking that they had. Unanimous pa. I'm surprised. Wala man lang ibang opinion or supporting opinion or explanation of their view.”

(Right now there’s nothing. It will stay in the archives because they declared it unconstitutional based on some kind of thinking that they had. They even voted unanimously. I was surprised. There was even no other opinion or supporting opinion or explanation of their view.) 

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, meanwhile, said that the SC decision should be respected, regardless if it is right or wrong. 

“Agree or disagree, right or wrong, just or unjust, faultless or defective - we must accept and respect the SC ruling on the unconstitutionality of VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment case. They are not called the ‘gods of Padre Faura’ for nothing,” Lacson said in a post on X. 

“This is not about politics or who gains or loses. If the SC ruling went the other way, my sentiment would be the same. Simply put, it is about respecting the rule of law,” he added.—AOL, GMA Integrated News