Risa presses Chiz on Senate caucus

February 27, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday urged Senate President Francis Escudero to call an all-senator caucus to discuss the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, emphasizing that nothing prevents the Senate from convening as an impeachment court.

During the Kapihan sa Senado forum, Hontiveros said the all-senator caucus is the next step after the House of Representatives submitted the impeachment complaint against Duterte to the Senate.

“In my opinion, based on what Senator Koko (Pimentel) is saying and my understanding of what is discussed in the Constitution, there is nothing stopping us from tackling the Articles of Impeachment and acting as an impeachment court. It can be said that even though the Senate has adjourned its regular session, it doesn’t mean it cannot proceed and fulfill its duties in the impeachment trial,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros backed Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III’s stance that the Constitution mandates the immediate commencement of the impeachment trial, regardless of whether or not the Senate is in session.

While she pressed for the impeachment trial to start, Hontiveros acknowledged Escudero’s stance that the Senate cannot convene as an impeachment court while the session is adjourned.

“I agree with Sen. Koko that the Senate President should call for an all-members caucus. That would give our colleagues the opportunity to hear Sen. Koko’s arguments on why we should convene as an impeachment court to address the articles of impeachment,” Hontiveros added.

“I am hopeful that the all-senators caucus will push through so we can discuss whether to proceed with the impeachment trial. SP mentioned that it might be scheduled for June when sessions resume, but I believe it’s possible to hold it earlier than June.”

Hontiveros said she would not be surprised if Pimentel actively engages with fellow senators to push for a caucus and move forward with the impeachment trial.

Hontiveros said waiting until June, when session resumes, to address the impeachment is far too long, stressing that delaying the VP’s impeachment trial would be a neglect of the Senate’s responsibilities.

She also stressed that delaying the process until June would waste the remaining time of the 19th Congress. If the impeachment proceedings begin only then, the current Senate would handle only the preliminaries, leaving the actual trial to the newly composed 20th Congress.

Even as she and the Vice President had an exchange during the Senate’s budget hearings, Hontiveros vowed to be objective in appreciating the evidence to be presented during the impeachment trial.

For his part, Pimentel gave assurance that all his efforts to gather support from the Senate majority for a special session on the impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte would be conducted in a “professional” manner.

“I will never do anything behind the back of the SP. All my communications to the Senate majority will be through the Senate President. We will be ‘professional’ with each other,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel said the Constitution mandates the immediate commencement of the impeachment trial, regardless of whether the Senate is in session.

“The Constitution mentions the ‘trial’ or the start of the trial. The judgment day will be determined by the natural course of events after the trial has commenced. It is the trial which shall proceed forthwith per the Constitution,” he added.

Impeachment is about accountability

The ongoing impeachment case against Vice President Duterte is about accountability to the people, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said yesterday in reaction to a recent WR Numero survey indicating that 47 percent of Filipinos oppose the impeachment.

Adiong maintained that the process is not a political contest but a constitutional mechanism to ensure that high-ranking officials are held responsible for their actions.

“However, we must emphasize that multiple independent and reputable surveys show that a clear majority of Filipinos support impeachment. A single survey cannot erase the growing clamor for justice and accountability,” he said.

“The House of Representatives will not be swayed by propaganda or public relations tactics. This fight is not political. This is a fight about the truth, justice and accountability,” Adiong said. “The people are the true judges. And the shout of the majority is clear: hold those guilty accountable.” — Jose Rodel Clapano