The Senate might be forced to hold a vote on whether it will even assemble as an impeachment court before any potential trial against Vice President Sara Duterte can start, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson stated on Wednesday.
Lacson anticipates immediate pushback once the motion to assemble is introduced, pointing out that several lawmakers have already indicated plans to contest the foundations of the impeachment before the formal process can even kick off.
“Even yung convening of the Senate as an impeachment court, in-object yun eh. Expected na yun. Kasi nag-express na sila eh. Diba, ang unang-unang nagsabi nga niyan, ‘Kukwestyonin ko muna yung basehan, yung basis ng articles of impeachment.’ Something like that,” Lacson said at a media forum.
The veteran lawmaker clarified that any attempt to obstruct the session cannot be decided by the presiding officer single-handedly; instead, it requires a collective vote from the entire chamber.
“May motion eh. Huwag mo siya na huwag i-convene. Sa botohan mauuwi yun. Kasi ang court hindi naman one-man court eh. It’s a 24-member court. So majority pa rin yung mag-rule.” he said.
According to the Senate leader, the chamber could potentially reject the motion to assemble.
He explained that during this preliminary vote, the Senate would still be operating under its regular legislative capacity rather than as an active impeachment body.
However, Lacson conceded that refusing to assemble could trigger legal battles, given the constitutional mandate that the Senate must “forthwith” organize itself into an impeachment court.
“Because sinasabi ng Constitution, ‘Mag-constitute kayo as an impeachment court. Forthwith.’ Pwedeng may magdala ng case sa Supreme Court. Mag-ru-rule ang Supreme Court, ‘Kailangan mag-convene kayo,’” he said.