Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre on Tuesday, March 4, hit the Senate's inaction over Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment as he noted how legal technicalities are now being used as an excuse to avoid accountability.

"If there's a will, there's a way," said Acidre. He added that many reasons can be cited if one does not really want to do something.

Acidre stressed that impeachment is a constitutional process, and that it should not be drowned in procedural roadblocks.

Although Senate President Chiz Escudero cited various reasons for the delay in commencing Duterte's impeachment trial, Acidre said there's a growing consensus favoring the necessity of proceeding with it.

“It’s very difficult to sabihin na nalulunod sa technicality ang usapan ng impeachment. Alam naman natin ang mga pronouncement ng Senate President at wala pong bago dito. Pero nakikita rin natin ang growing consensus (It's very difficult to say that impeachment talks are already drowning in technicality. We already know the Senate President's pronouncement and there's nothing new here. But there's already a growing consensus),” he said.

Acidre argued that the legislative calendar should not be used as a justification for inaction. He pointed to constitutional framers who have previously clarified that the impeachment process falls outside the scope of the legislative schedule.

He further insisted that the Senate has a constitutional mandate to convene for the impeachment trial without requiring a special session.

Meanwhile, Taguig City 2nd district Rep. Pammy Zamora echoed Acidre’s concerns.

She said the delay in starting the impeachment trial was a matter of leadership rather than procedure.

“I...believe that this is a leadership issue or a leadership stance,” she said.

Zamora said that the longer the Senate delays the process, the more the public loses confidence in accountability mechanisms, especially given the numerous unresolved issues surrounding the Vice President’s use of confidential funds.

She also reiterated that the issue goes beyond one individual, and emphasized that several questionable transactions remain unanswered, including those tied to fictitious names and questionable expenditures.

“And this is not only about Mary Grace Piattos. This is about the millions, the safehouses, the millions of other names that were used, same names pero magkaiba lahat (but different people),” she added.