The Senate on Monday officially voted to archive the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, effectively halting any further proceedings after the Supreme Court (SC) ruled the impeachment was unconstitutional.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, in explaining his vote in favor of the motion, emphasized the Senate’s duty to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. “Let history record that in this moment, we chose the Constitution,” he declared. “We chose the rule of law by defending the integrity of the Supreme Court and maintaining the system of checks and balances.”
The Senate’s decision comes in the wake of the SC’s declaration that the impeachment case violated the one-year bar rule under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution, and that it breached the Vice President’s right to due process. The court added that the Senate never acquired jurisdiction to convene as an impeachment court, rendering the complaint legally void.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III urged his colleagues to await the decision on a pending motion for reconsideration filed by the Office of the Solicitor General on behalf of the House of Representatives. Sotto insisted that the impeachment process should be allowed to run its constitutional course.
The House of Representatives had voted overwhelmingly on February 5 to impeach Duterte, accusing her of betrayal of public trust, violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes. Duterte dismissed the allegations and entered a “not guilty” plea, calling the complaint “a scrap of paper.”
Before approving the motion to archive, the Senate rejected a motion by Sotto to postpone the decision. With only five senators voting in favor and 19 against, Sotto’s move to “table” the archiving motion was defeated.
“May God have mercy on your decision,” Sotto said after the vote, expressing concern over what he viewed as a premature termination of the impeachment process.
The Supreme Court clarified that its ruling does not absolve Duterte of any wrongdoing and noted that a new impeachment complaint may be filed starting February 6, 2026.
With this Senate vote, the current impeachment process against Vice President Duterte is officially concluded—at least for now.