On Tuesday night, 22 senators from the 19th Congress were officially sworn in as judges of the impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
This development came after Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, in a privilege speech, moved for the dismissal of the impeachment case against the Vice President.
Dela Rosa explained that his motion stemmed from the alleged violation by the members of the House of Representatives of a constitutional provision regarding a one-year ban on filing impeachment complaints.
Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero subsequently clarified that the motion could only be acted upon once the Senate formally convened as an impeachment court, a crucial step that necessitated senators first taking their oaths as judges.
Consequently, the session was suspended, allowing the senators to don their ceremonial impeachment robes.
The Senate reconvened at 6:15 p.m., where the senators formally took their oaths as judges.
Despite taking their oaths as judges, Senators Robin Padilla, Imee Marcos, and Cynthia Villar notably abstained from wearing their ceremonial robes, citing 'reservations' about the Senate's process in handling the impeachment complaint against Duterte.
On Monday, Escudero took his oath as the presiding officer of the impeachment court in the trial.
This occurred after extended plenary discussions, which were initiated by a motion from the Senate minority bloc urging the commencement of the impeachment trial's opening rites.
Duterte is facing allegations that include the misuse of confidential and intelligence funds by agencies under her purview, alongside an alleged death threat directed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
