Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Monday, June 9, formally moved for the Senate to suspend all legislative business and immediately convene as an impeachment court to begin proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2025/06/09/pimentel-moves-to-immediately-convene-senate-as-impeachment-court
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READ: https://mb.com.ph/2025/06/09/pimentel-moves-to-immediately-convene-senate-as-impeachment-court
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NewsTranscript
00:00The people have also taken to Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and other social media platforms to voice their concerns and frustrations.
00:09Across these channels, the sentiment is clear and growing.
00:13Nagkaroon ng agam-agam ang taong bayan. Bakit parang pinapatay na ang impeachment proceedings?
00:20This question reflects a deep unease among our citizens,
00:24a growing fear that the impeachment process is being deliberately stalled or even quietly ended.
00:32There is confusion as well as distrust at a time when our constitutional duty demands decisive and quick action
00:40and not unnecessary delays and endless debate on whether our duty is optional, captured by the phrase, if at all.
00:51What is that constitutional duty which I have just mentioned?
00:57It is a mandate or directive addressed to the Senate and is found in Article 11, Section 3, Paragraph 4 of the 1987 Constitution.
01:06And I will read it.
01:07In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the members of the House of Representatives,
01:16the same shall constitute the articles of impeachment and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.
01:23Since the time we received the articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives on February 5, 2025,
01:32I have been very vocal that trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.
01:39I wrote the Senate President a letter dated February 14, 2025 expressing the following ideas,
01:45and I quote from the said letter.
01:48According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary,
01:51forthwith means without any delay or without interval of time.
01:56Its synonyms include immediately, sentaneously, instantly, presently, promptly, right away, right now, straight off, and straight away, among others.
02:06Considering that the 1987 Constitution was promulgated in both English and Filipino,
02:12we must examine its official Filipino translation.
02:16Kung ang pinanumpaang sakdal o resolusyon sa impeachment ay iniharap ng isang katlo manlamang ng lahat ng mga kagawad ng kapulungan,
02:28iyon ay dapat bumuo sa articles of impeachment at dapat isunod agad ang paglilitis ng Senado.
02:38The Filipino translation for forthwith is agad, which conveys immediacy.
02:45The synonyms of this Filipino word include madali, bigla, dagli, o karakaraka, which denote urgency or promptness.
02:55The above elaboration affirms that it is the Senate's duty to act on the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte without any delay or without interval of time.
03:08I repeat that this is the Senate's duty.
03:11I am submitting a copy of my letter dated February 14, 2025, to the Senate Secretariat to form part of the records of the Senate.
03:19In spite of all of my efforts, member of the minority na nga ako, I am also being hit by all these attacks against the Senate.
03:31How much more kayo pong nasa majority?
03:34We should all be concerned about what is happening.
03:38One writer wrote,
03:39Hence, I have every right to stand up to express my question of privilege as I worry about our beloved institution's reputation, integrity, dignity, and even our place in Philippine history.
04:04It is now June 9, 2025, or more than four months since the filing of the Articles of Impeachment, and the Senate has not yet started the trial.
04:18Tama lang po na mainip ang taong bayan kung kailan ba natin gagampanan ang constitutional duty natin.
04:26Indeed, there is a reason for the no trial fears of our countrymen.
04:30To remind us, the Articles of Impeachment transmitted by the House of Representatives on February 5, 2025, read as follows.
04:43Article 1, Respondent betrayed the Public Trust, committed culpable violations of the Constitution, and or committed high crimes in contracting an assassin, and plotting to murder or assassinate the incumbent President, the First Lady, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, as publicly admitted by her in a live broadcast.
05:07Article 2, Respondent betrayed the Public Trust, and or committed gruff and corruption in her misuse and malversation of confidential funds appropriated to the Office of the Vice President,
05:20Open and open and closed parenthesis, open and open and closed parenthesis, open and closed parenthesis, Depth Ed.
05:29Article 3, Respondent betrayed the Public Trust, and or committed bribery, and or other acts of gruff and corruption in violation of Republic Act No. 3019.
05:41Article 4, Respondent committed culpable violations of the Constitution, and or betrayal of public trust, in amassing unexplained wealth, and failing to disclose all her properties and interest in properties in her statement of assets and net worth,
06:00open and closed parenthesis, Sal N, in violation of Section 17, Article 11 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
06:11Article 5, Respondent committed other high crimes, including the high crime of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
06:21Article 6, Respondent, by herself and or in concert with others, committed acts of destabilization, constituting at least a betrayal of public trust, and or culpable violations of the Constitution,
06:36and even the high crimes of sedition and insurrection.
06:39Article 7, the totality of Respondent's conduct as Vice President, including her commission of the foregoing acts,
06:48clearly display conduct constituting a betrayal of public trust, culpable violations of the 1987 Constitution, and gruff and corruption.
06:58These allegations are serious.
07:01They demand nothing less than a prompt and faithful discharge of our constitutional duties.
07:05Actually, all matters of impeachment are serious and important.
07:10Just look at the grounds provided by the Constitution.
07:14Culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust.
07:21The Senate President refused to convene the Senate as the impeachment court from February to May 2025,
07:32because he believes that the Senate could not act on the articles of impeachment while it was not in legislative session.
07:40We have an honest difference of opinion on this matter.
07:44For the record, I believe that the Senate has a separate existence as the impeachment court from the Senate,
07:53which is a part of the legislative department.
07:56The Senate as the impeachment court is governed by Article 11 of the 1987 Constitution.
08:03The Senate as a part of the legislative department is governed by Article 6.
08:07In short, legislative functions of the Senate are found in Article 6.
08:14The other functions of the Senate found outside of Article 6 of the Constitution
08:18are therefore what we can call the Senate's non-legislative functions.
08:24This conclusion is bolstered by the case of Pimentel Jr. v. Joint Committee of Congress,
08:30which involved the function of the Senate as part of the National Board of Convassers for President and Vice President,
08:37a function which is found in Article 7 of the Constitution.
08:42The Supreme Court ruled in this case that the legislative functions of the 12th Congress
08:48may have come to a close upon the final adjournment of its regular sessions on June 11, 2004,
08:54but this does not affect its non-legislative functions.
09:01What is more important to me is the entry in the judgment which states as follows.
09:07In sum, despite the adjournment sine die of Congress,
09:11there is no legal impediment to the Joint Committee completing the tasks assigned to it
09:17and transmitting its report for the approval of the Joint Public Session of both Houses of Congress,
09:22which may reconvene without need of call by the President to a special session.
09:29I want to focus on the phrase without need of call.
09:34There shall be no need of a call because the Constitution itself recognizes Congress's existence
09:41as the National Board of Convassers for the presidential and vice-presidential elections
09:46and mandates the holding of a Joint Public Session.
09:50So in short, in short, the source of the existence of the body
09:54and the authority and power to carry out its function and duty is the Constitution itself.
10:02It is therefore undeniable that the Senate has duties and functions that are not legislative in nature.
10:10As an additional argument, still on this honest difference of opinion,
10:17let us look at Article 6, Section 19 of the Constitution.
10:20Meron naman yung copy ng rules natin dyan ang Constitution.
10:24This section talks about two bodies of which Congress, including the Senate,
10:29is a member of the Electoral Tribunals and the Commission on Appointments.
10:33There is a sentence here in that section that
10:38the Commission on Appointments shall meet only while the Congress is in session.
10:45Meaning to say that if the sentence were not in the Constitution,
10:49then the Commission on Appointments can meet even while the Congress is not in session.
10:54The Electoral Tribunals can therefore meet even when the Congress is not in session
10:59because there is no such sentence applicable to the Electoral Tribunals.
11:05Unlike the provisions concerning the Commission on Appointments,
11:09there is no similar constitutional limitation found in Article 11
11:13on when the Senate as the Impeachment Court can convene, meet, or hold sessions
11:19in order to perform its functions.
11:22Ulitin ko, wala pong sinasabi na ang Senado as the Impeachment Court
11:26shall meet only while the Congress is in session.
11:29Wala. Wala po yan.
11:32Clearly, therefore, the Senate as the Impeachment Court
11:35could have proceeded with the trial of the Articles of Impeachment
11:39even if the Senate as a legislative body was not in session.
11:44But that period of time from February to May 2025 is lost time already,
11:53like water which has passed under a bridge.
11:57To remedy the situation, let us focus on the here and now.
12:03Per the proposed calendar of the impeachment trial,
12:07attached as Annex A to the letter of the Senate President
12:11addressed to all Senators dated February 24, 2025,
12:17we were supposed to have allowed the panel of prosecutors
12:20to present the Articles of Impeachment on June 2, 2025 at 3 p.m.
12:27and to have convened the Senate as the Impeachment Court
12:31on June 3 at 9 a.m.
12:34I am also submitting a copy of the letter of the Senate President
12:37dated February 24, 2025, with its Annex A to the Secretariat
12:42to form a part of the records of the Senate.
12:45It is stated in the said Annex A that
12:48the Senate hopes to adhere to the foregoing schedule
12:52and considering that both the prosecution and defense
12:56will have ample time to prepare for the proceedings,
12:58will not tolerate any dilatory motion or pleading.
13:05Before June 2 arrived, on May 29,
13:09the Senate President vacated this proposed calendar
13:11of the impeachment court
13:13and transferred the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment
13:17by the panel of prosecutors
13:18to June 11, 2025,
13:21which is a critical date
13:24because that happens to be the last day
13:26of the legislative session of the Senate
13:29per our existing legislative calendar.
13:34Last Monday, June 2, 2025,
13:38when I asked the Senate President before the plenary
13:40on the American practice in impeachment proceedings
13:43regarding the appearance of the prosecutors
13:46from the House of Representatives,
13:48the Senate President answered me with,
13:51and I quote,
13:53that in turn will now trigger,
13:56if at all,
13:57the convening of the impeachment court
14:00where the regular processes would now be followed.
14:04Diyan po kami natakot,
14:06diyan sa qualifier na,
14:07if at all,
14:09that inserted qualifier
14:11casts doubt on whether the Senate leadership
14:14will follow what is otherwise
14:16a clear constitutional command.
14:20It suggests that
14:21even after the articles of impeachment
14:24have been read and presented,
14:26the convening of the impeachment court
14:28might still be discretionary or optional.
14:32This use of the if at all phrase
14:34has not escaped the notice of our citizens.
14:38The situation is exacerbated
14:41by the pronouncement of the Senate President
14:43that in the end,
14:46Senate plenary is supreme.
14:49Add to this the circulation of a resolution,
14:51although admittedly a draft,
14:53declaring the impeachment case
14:55de facto dismissed.
14:58Can we therefore blame law professors,
15:00lawyers groups,
15:01civil society groups,
15:03known legal personalities,
15:04and even ordinary citizens
15:07for raising the alarm
15:09of a no-trial scenario?
15:11So how do we
15:13and can we remedy
15:14the situation we are right now?
15:16The remedy is simple.
15:19As senators,
15:20we have taken an oath
15:21to support and defend
15:23the Constitution of the Philippines
15:24that I will bear true faith
15:27and allegiance to the same.
15:29Let us follow
15:30what the Constitution says,
15:32most especially those provisions
15:33which are directed at the Senate.
15:36Sabi ng Constitution,
15:38trial by the Senate
15:40shall forthwith proceed.
15:42There is no if,
15:43no unless,
15:45no when convenient.
15:47Indeed,
15:48the Senate has a constitutional duty
15:49to hold the trial
15:51of an impeachment complaint,
15:53especially when it has been filed
15:55by at least one-third
15:56of all the members
15:58of the House of Representatives,
16:00like in this case,
16:01against the Vice President.
16:03Trial is the most fair
16:06course of action
16:08because the people
16:09need to know
16:10if their representatives
16:12acted properly
16:14and justly
16:15by hearing the evidence
16:17used by them
16:18in filing
16:19the impeachment case.
16:21And in the name
16:22of due process,
16:24we need to give
16:24the impeached officer
16:26the chance
16:27to defend himself
16:28or herself
16:29and clear
16:30his or her name.
16:31Klarohin ko na
16:34ang pinag-uusapan
16:35natin dito
16:35ay kung ano
16:36ang constitutional duty
16:37ng Senado,
16:38hindi kung guilty
16:39or not guilty
16:41na ba
16:41ang impeached officer.
16:44Saka na ang hatol
16:45pagkatapos na
16:46ng trial.
16:47Ang importante
16:48ay mag-umpisa na
16:49ang trial proceedings
16:50kasi yan ang utos
16:51ng ating Constitution.
16:52Mr. President,
16:55my dear colleagues,
16:57any further delay
16:58not only
16:58undermines
16:59the explicit
16:59mandate
17:00of the Constitution
17:01and our rules,
17:03it risks
17:03eroding
17:04public trust
17:05in the Senate's
17:06capacity
17:06and capability
17:08to uphold
17:09the accountability
17:10of public officers
17:11and the rule
17:12of law.
17:14Not only
17:14do many
17:15believe
17:15that the Senate
17:16is heading
17:16to a no-trial
17:17scenario,
17:19worse,
17:20many have opined
17:21that simply
17:22by inaction
17:23or by merely
17:24refusing to convene
17:26as the impeachment
17:26court,
17:27the Senate
17:28seems to believe
17:29that it can
17:29effectively dismiss
17:30or defeat
17:31an impeachment
17:32complaint
17:33duly filed
17:34and transmitted
17:34by the House
17:36of Representatives.
17:38Under Rule 10
17:39of the Senate's
17:40Rules of Procedure
17:41on Impeachment Trials,
17:43at the hour
17:44of the day
17:45appointed
17:46for the trial
17:47of an impeachment,
17:48the legislative
17:50business
17:50of the Senate,
17:51if there be any,
17:53shall be suspended
17:54so that the business
17:56of the trial
17:57can proceed.
17:59So in the light
18:00of all of this
18:01and in accordance
18:03with our solemn
18:04duty
18:04under the Constitution,
18:08I respectfully,
18:10I most respectfully
18:12move
18:12number one,
18:15that our legislative
18:16business be suspended,
18:19number two,
18:20that we already
18:21convene
18:22as the impeachment
18:23court at this
18:24very moment,
18:25number three,
18:26that the Senate
18:27president immediately
18:28take his oath
18:29as presiding officer
18:30of the impeachment
18:31court,
18:33number four,
18:33that thereafter
18:34the Senate president
18:36slash presiding
18:38officer
18:38administer the
18:39oath or affirmation
18:40to all the members
18:41of the Senate
18:42now present,
18:44number five,
18:45that the impeachment
18:45court then call
18:47the impeachment
18:47case against
18:48Vice President
18:49Sara Duterte
18:49and come up
18:51with a calendar
18:52for the trial
18:53thereof,
18:54number six,
18:55that tomorrow,
18:56June 10,
18:572025,
18:58at two o'clock
18:59in the afternoon,
19:00the impeachment
19:01court called
19:02the impeachment
19:02case for the
19:03presentation and
19:04reading of the
19:05articles of impeachment
19:06by the panel
19:07of prosecutors
19:08of the House
19:09of Representatives,
19:10and number seven,
19:12that thereafter,
19:13the writ of summons
19:14be issued
19:15to the impeached
19:17officer.
19:18So I so move,
19:19Mr. President.