The Senate is set to decide on Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment ruling on August 6, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said.
During the Senate session on Tuesday, July 29, Escudero said that the plenary has agreed to make its decision by August 6, giving them enough time to study the 97-page Supreme Court (SC) decision.
The date was confirmed after their first caucus on early Tuesday, a day after the 20th Congress officially convened.
“For the record, it was agreed in the caucus that the matter will be decided upon by the Senate on August 6, 2025, when we open session on that date in order to afford ample and sufficient time to study the 97-page Supreme Court decision,” Escudero explained.
“Excluding the concurring and separate opinions filed by five or six additional magistrates of the Supreme Court,” he added.
The SC Ruling
Last week, the SC struck down an impeachment complaint against the Vice President, declaring it unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the 1987 Constitution.
Although the higher court clarified that it was not absolving Duterte of the charges, the ruling was a great win for the Vice President.
The same day of the higher court’s ruling, the defense camp welcomed the decision, stating they remain prepared to address the allegations at the “proper time and before the appropriate forum.”
Where it Began
The House of Representatives moved to impeach Duterte last February, after 215 lawmakers signed the endorsement.
The impeachment complaint was based on the grounds of: betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
This comes after the Vice President faced public scrutiny when the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability uncovered several anomalies with the usage of confidential funds within the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as its secretary.
