MANILA — The Senate on Wednesday night voted to archive the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, heeding the Supreme Court’s ruling that declared the move unconstitutional and void from the outset.
With 19 senators voting in favor of archiving the complaint, four against, and one abstention, the upper chamber effectively closed the chapter—at least for now—on the historic impeachment case filed by the House of Representatives last February.
Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who initiated the motion, initially pushed for outright dismissal but later accepted an amendment from Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva to merely archive the case, leaving room for possible revival should the Supreme Court reverse itself.
“That is why I thank the good movant, Mr. President, for allowing the amendment of the motion to make it a mere archiving of the document, because that will never stop us from being able to pull out the document from the archives,” said Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.
Senate President Francis Escudero defended the decision, saying it upheld constitutional principles.
“Let history, Mr. President, record that in this moment, we chose the Constitution, we chose the rule of law by defending the integrity of the Supreme Court and maintaining the system of checks and balances under our republican system of government,” Escudero said.
Senator Imee Marcos, meanwhile, took a sharply political tone, alluding to a power play behind the impeachment complaint. Without naming names, she implied the hand of her cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“Ang boses ng Korte Suprema ay boses ng Konstitusyon. Kung sinuman ang sasapaw nito ay isa lang ang tono: Ambisyon. Kaya naman, mag-move on na tayo!” Marcos said, urging instead for a leadership change in the House: “Ano kaya kung ‘yung Speaker n’yo na lang ang palitan nyo? Kaya nyo yan!”
On the other hand, Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and senators Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, and Bam Aquino opposed the move, calling it premature and dismissive of the Senate’s constitutional duty.
“How can the Senate archive something that is not before it? The articles are before the impeachment court,” said Sotto.
“Mr. President, I vote no. The 1987 Constitution entrusted the duty to try and decide all cases of impeachment to the Senate. Today, we are voting to abandon this mandate,” said Hontiveros.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson abstained from the vote.
The House of Representatives impeached Duterte-Carpio on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers backing the complaint that accused her of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
Duterte-Carpio dismissed the charges, calling the complaint “a scrap of paper” and entered a “not guilty” plea.
The Supreme Court subsequently nullified the articles of impeachment, citing the one-year bar on multiple impeachment attempts and Duterte-Carpio’s right to due process. It ruled the Senate had no jurisdiction because the complaint was void ab initio.
However, the Court also clarified that the Vice President is not exonerated and that a new complaint may be filed starting February 6, 2026.
In a last-ditch effort, the House filed a motion for reconsideration, arguing for the preservation of its exclusive mandate to prosecute and for the Senate’s role as impeachment court to proceed./PN
