Impeachment now an impossible dream – Sotto

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January 31, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The impeachment process can be more prone to abuse because of the stringent requirements imposed by the Supreme Court, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said yesterday.

During a Zoom press briefing, Sotto said the Court affirmed its earlier decision which imposed strict guidelines for the House of Representatives in initiating a verified and endorsed impeachment complaint.

“It’s nothing short of judicial legislation. Impeachment is now more difficult than ever. Forgive me, but impeachment is now an impossible dream,” Sotto said.

The requirement to provide all members with the complaint and the evidence, as well as require them to have read all the documents before signing, means any impeachment can be derailed by just refusing to read the complaint or by being absent, he said.

The strict rule against more than one impeachment complaint also means that any person can file a defective complaint to trigger the one-year bar rule, Sotto said, recalling the sham impeachment complaint filed against then president Gloria Arroyo by lawyer Oliver Lozano.

“This opens up the process to more abuse. No official will be impeached because of this,” he said.

Sotto said he also disagreed with the Supreme Court’s interpretation that a session day is the same as a calendar day in interpreting the 10-session day rule.

He explained that the two are different because a session day depends on whether the House or Senate suspended its session or adjourned it for the next one.

Sotto also flagged the SC’s failure to correct its factual error when it said the 19th Congress adjourned its 36th regular session on Feb. 5 last year. He said it was only an adjournment for the break, which is different from a regular session adjournment. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Janvic Mateo