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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider What if VP Sara impeachment case gets dismissed? 'Yan ho ay betrayal,' says prosecution spox

What if VP Sara impeachment case gets dismissed? 'Yan ho ay betrayal,' says prosecution spox

Published Jun 17, 2025 08:37 pm

At A Glance

  • Dismissing Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment complaint without a proper trial would be a "betrayal of the Constitution".
Vice President Sara Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Vice President Sara Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Dismissing Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment complaint without a proper trial would be a betrayal of the Constitution.
Thus, said lawyer Antonio Bucoy, House prosecution panel spokesman in a press conference Tuesday, June 17.
Bucoy was sounding off on senator-judge Ronald Bato dela Rosa's motion to dismiss Duterte's impeachment complaint last week when the senators convened as an impeachment court.
It was arguably the most eyebrow-raising development in the entire impeachment process so far.
“Wala po sa Saligang Batas ‘yan. ‘Yan ho ay betrayal. ‘Yan ho ay hindi alinsunod sa ating Saligang Batas (That is not in the Constitution. That is a betrayal. It does not align with our Constitution), Bucoy said.
“It’s a bad precedent. It’s a terrible precedent dahil hindi ito alinsunod sa Saligang Batas (because it doesn’t follow the Constitution),” he pointed out.
The lawyer-spokesman described Dela Rosa's move as unconstitutional and procedurally improper.
“Ang hukom po ay hindi nagmo-motion. Ang nagmo-motion ‘yung mga partido (A judge does not file motions. It's the parties that file motions),” he said, referring to the House prosecution panel and the Vice President's defense team.
Yung mga grounds na binanggit ni Senator Dela Rosa, ‘yun din ang grounds na iniakyat nila (Duterte camp) sa Supreme Court (SC) eh. So ang nangyari, si Senator Dela Rosa umaaksyon na parang defense counsel, said Bucoy, further chiding the lawmaker from Davao City.
(The grounds mentioned by Senator Dela Rosa are the same grounds that the Duterte camp brought to the SC. So what happened is that Senator Dela Rosa is acting like a defense counsel.)
Bucoy says the senator-judges' duty is to simply decide on the impeachment case based on the evidence that would be presented.
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