MANILA: Philippine senators were sworn in Tuesday as jurors in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with the newly convened court moving to immediately hear a motion to dismiss the case.
The House of Representatives impeached Duterte in early February on charges including graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against one-time ally and former running mate President Ferdinand Marcos.
The oath-taking followed days of wrangling that had raised fears the trial process might be derailed, something that threatened to become reality Tuesday evening.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa, former national police chief and enforcer of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, introduced the motion to dismiss the impeachment case against the former leader’s daughter.
Dela Rosa argued that earlier complaints filed against Duterte — voted on at the committee level — constituted impeachment proceedings, only one of which may take place in a year.
Senate President Francis Escudero ruled the Senate would vote on dela Rosa’s motion, but only after first convening as an impeachment court.
“After we approve the (impeachment court) rules, the (dela Rosa motion) will be the first item of the agenda,“ he said.
In opposing the motion, Senator Joel Villanueva said: “We have no constitutional authority as a legislative body to dismiss the impeachment complaint.”
— Ready to confront the charges —
The senators, with all but two dressed in burgundy robes, were sworn in minutes later. Senators Imee Marcos and Robin Padilla, key Duterte allies, refused to don the robes.
Tuesday’s convening of the impeachment court had already been rescheduled once, with some lawmakers publicly expressing fears the Senate might choose to shelve the trial entirely.
Duterte is widely expected to run for president in 2028, a possibility with deep implications for the political futures of the senators deciding her fate.
A conviction, which requires the support of two-thirds of the body’s 24 members, would mean her removal as vice president and a permanent ban from public office.
A slate of candidates loyal to Duterte outperformed expectations in May’s mid-term elections, winning five of the 12 open seats and upping her chances for acquittal.
On Monday, Duterte’s defence team said in a statement they were “ready to confront the charges and expose the baselessness of the accusations against the Vice President”.
Duterte swept to power in 2022 in an alliance with Marcos that began crumbling almost immediately.
The feud exploded into open warfare this year with her impeachment and the subsequent arrest and transfer of her father to face charges at the International Criminal Court at the Hague tied to his deadly drug war.
Marcos has publicly stated that he is against the impeachment while maintaining he is powerless to intervene.
