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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Minority solons blast Senate for 'killing' VP Sara impeachment case

Minority solons blast Senate for 'killing' VP Sara impeachment case

Published Aug 6, 2025 10:04 pm

At A Glance

  • Members of the House minority bloc castigated the Senate on Wednesday night, Aug. 6 for essentially "killing" the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte without even holding one day of trial.
Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB)
Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB)


Members of the House minority bloc castigated the Senate on Wednesday night, Aug. 6 for essentially "killing" the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte without even holding one day of trial.
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, and Akbayan Party-list Reps. Chel Diokno and Perci Cendaña spoke their minds minutes after the senators voted 19-4-1 (yes-no-abstain) to archive the complaint against the second highest official of the land.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the Senate’s decision to 'archive' the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte," Tinio and Co, both Makabayan solons, said in a joint statement.
"Archiving is nothing but a shameless attempt to kill the case while claiming they 'never had jurisdiction' in the first place. Kung hindi naman pala nila hawak, paano mo a-archive? (If they're not handling it, how can they archive it?)" they asked.
"The Senate wants to spare itself from the optics of openly junking the case, yet the result is the same: the Filipino people are denied accountability for the still-unexplained P612.5 million in confidential funds," they said, referring to one of the seven articles of impeachment against Vice President Duterte.
Tinio called out the senators for allegedly fearing the Dutertes. "By shelving the case, the Senate proves it is more afraid of the Duterte camp than Filipino taxpayers demanding answers," he said.
Co said the senators' vote showed who their true masters were.
Diokno called a spade a spade, and said that the act of archiving was equal to killing and buying the complaint and the impeachment articles.
"It would have been more prudent for the Senate to wait for the ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) on the motion for reconsideration (MR) filed by the House of Representatives. Instead, the Senate hammered another nail on the coffin of accountability — anupamang itawag d'yan, to dismiss, archive, o sa salita ng isa mismong senador, kill the articles of impeachment (whatever you call it, to dismiss, archive, or in the words of one senator, kill the articles of impeachment)," he said.
"We reiterate our call for the [SC] to reconsider its decision. Even the highest officials must be held accountable for wrongdoings against the Filipino people," Diokno added.
'Group of clowns'
Meanwhile, a statement shared by Cendaña on Akbayan Party-list's social media described the Senate as a "farce".
"They are a group of clowns who enjoy fooling the Filipino people. We should not be fooled by their play with words, archiving is the same as killing the impeachment. Archival is dismissal," Akbayan said.
"By prematurely archiving the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, even as a [MR] remains pending before the [SC], it has chosen impunity over accountability," it said.
Akbayan further called the Senate's action "a clear betrayal of its constitutional duty", and said that the upper chamber has been reduced to a "Senate of the Dutertes".
"Akbayan condemns this act in the strongest terms. We stand with the people in demanding truth, accountability, and a Senate that serves the nation, not one political dynasty," it added.
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