Mounting calls from legal scholars, civil society and protest groups are putting the Philippine Senate under pressure to launch an impeachment trial against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio – even as her allies move to have the case dismissed.
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Duterte-Carpio was impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5 on a wide range of serious charges that include large-scale corruption and plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, his wife and the speaker of the house – allegations the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte has firmly denied.
The House of Representatives transmitted the Verified Complaint for Impeachment to the Senate on February 7 – just before the 19th Congress adjourned ahead of midterm election campaigning – triggering a constitutional requirement for the upper chamber to convene as an impeachment court “forthwith”.
However, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has repeatedly delayed proceedings, citing scheduling constraints and the need to tackle priority legislation first.
The Senate resumed session on June 2, but Escudero has said the impeachment trial will only begin on Wednesday, just days before Congress again goes into final recess on Friday. That would leave the trial to be resumed, if at all, by the incoming 20th Congress in late July.
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Philippine VP Sara Duterte to fight impeachment case in escalating clash with Marcos Jnr
Philippine VP Sara Duterte to fight impeachment case in escalating clash with Marcos Jnr
A lawyer by training, Escudero has drawn scrutiny for his interpretation of the constitutional term “forthwith”. He told reporters it did not mean “immediately” but rather “within a reasonable period”, arguing that if the framers of the 1987 Constitution had meant instant action, “they should have used the word ‘immediately’”.