President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., can call for a special session of the Congress to tackle the impeachment bid against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Former Senate president Franklin Drilon pointed this out in light of the Senate’s receipt of the Articles of Impeachment during the last day of its plenary session before it went on a break.

But first, Drilon said the Senate must include the impeachment complaint in its agenda, and as part of its “Reference of Business,” refer the same to the Impeachment Court.

“Thus, after its adjournment, the Senate cannot act on the impeachment complaint. But after the referral, the Senate, as an Impeachment Court, can act independently of the Senate, as a Legislative body,” Drilon said.

“(The) remedy: the President can call Congress to a Special Session for the Senate to perform its constitutional duty of acting as an impeachment court to try the VP (vice president),” he stressed.

“Calling Congress to a Special Session to tackle the impeachment complaint is the sole prerogative of the President which cannot be questioned, not even by the Supreme Court,” he said.

In a press conference, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the Senate cannot act on the impeachment complaint as soon as it received the documents as they have to conduct a thorough review of the papers submitted to them on Wednesday, February 5.

This includes checking the veracity and the authenticity of the signatures of the complainants.

Escudero also said the Upper Chamber would also still have to review the rules and procedures to be followed by the impeachment court.

Nevertheless, he said the Senate could not be accused of sitting on the complaint recalling that the Senate convened as an impeachment court in January 2001, two months after the House of Representatives impeached then President Joseph Estrada in November 2000.