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Forthwith reloaded: Adiong says Senate is taking too long to start VP Duterte trial
Philippines
National
Forthwith reloaded: Adiong says Senate is taking too long to start VP Duterte trial
Forthwith reloaded: Adiong says Senate is taking too long to start VP Duterte trial
Published May 28, 2026 10:32 pm
At A Glance
- Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong urges the Senate to start Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial sooner than July 6, stressing its constitutional duty to proceed "forthwith".
- He recalled the Senate's delay in 2025 and emphasized the urgency for public accountability.
- Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega asked senators to resolve internal disputes so regular business and the long-awaited trial could move forward.
Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
The "forthwith" debacle has once again reared its head, this time in the 2026 Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
This, after House prosecution panel spokesperson Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong opined that the July 6 trial start date set by the Senate was somewhat "far away".
“Sa pananaw namin, medyo matagal po ang July 6 (In our view, July 6 is a bit far away). The Constitution is very clear that the impeachment trial shall proceed forthwith. Sana po ay mabigyan ito ng agarang prayoridad (We hope that this is swiftly,” Adiong said.
To many, "forthwith" means immediately. However, this wasn't displayed by the Senate last year, when the House of Representatives impeached Vice President Duterte for the first time.
In February 2025, the Senate convened as an impeachment court but couldn't put Duterte on trial at once. Several reasons were cited, like the then-upcoming mid-term elections.
That impeachment case was ultimately declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (SC) due to a technicality.
Adiong said that while the House respects the Senate’s preparations for the trial this year, he hopes the chamber could prioritize the impeachment proceedings given its constitutional significance.
“The Senate has every right to prepare, but we also hope the process moves as promptly as possible in the interest of public accountability and public trust,” he said.
"Kung may dapat pong unahin ang Senado ngayon, sana po ay ito dahil napakahalaga nitong constitutional duty (If the Senate must prioritize anything right now, it should be this because it is such an important constitutional duty)," added Adiong.
The House overwhelmingly impeached Duterte for the second time in two years last May 11. A week later, the Senate convened as an impeachment court. The July 6 trial start date was then floated.
Adiong also noted that several senators had earlier underscored the importance of proceeding with the trial once the articles of impeachment were transmitted to the chamber.
“The Filipino people are closely watching this process. We trust that the Senate will act with fairness, independence and urgency consistent with its constitutional mandate,” he said.
Settle your concerns, Ortega tells Senate
That said, the upper chamber has seemingly been distracted by intramurals, most notably the coup threats to its leadership, the issue of the "wanted" Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, and the majority bloc's push to legitimize online participation in Senate proceedings.
These occurrences weren't lost to House Deputy Speaker La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V, who wished that the senators could settle their internal concerns soon.
"Medyo mainit ng konti pero sabi ko at the end of the day siguro mas maganda maayos na rin po nila para maumpisahan na po yung regular business and the impeachment trial as well,” Ortega said.
(It’s a bit heated, but I said at the end of the day it would be better if they could settle things so we can begin the regular business and the impeachment trial as well.)
For the deputy speaker, the concern is practical rather than partisan because the House and Senate still have to work together on important measures, while the impeachment trial is already being awaited by many Filipinos.
“Sa amin gusto namin talagang mag-ayos na sila para mag-settle na ‘yung dust. Then we can go on with business as usual. At siyempre po yung trial natin na ang tagal po inaantay na ng taong bayan ‘yan,” Ortega said.
(For us, we really want them to resolve matters so the dust can settle. Then we can go on with business as usual. And of course, the trial that the people have long been waiting for,” Ortega said.“So we don’t hold any ill will towards them.)
“So wala naman po tayong ill will towards them. Ang gusto po natin, ma-settle na po yung issues, yung mga concerns nila. Kasi magkakatrabaho po kami ng mga yan,” he stressed.
(So we don't have any ill will towards them. What we want is for their issues and concerns to be settled. Because we will be working with them.)