Senator Dela Rosa to Propose Senate Inquiry on Impeachment Trial

Former top cop turned lawmaker Sen. Bato dela Rosa plans to ask the Senate if it is willing to follow the actions of the previous Congress regarding Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial. Dela Rosa mentioned that since the House of Representatives was asked, it is only fair to question the Senate as well.

On June 10, dela Rosa made a motion to dismiss the impeachment case against Duterte, leading to the Senate convening into an impeachment court. After deliberation, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano amended the motion to return the Articles of Impeachment to the lower chamber.

The Senate, acting as a court, requested the House of Representatives to certify that it did not violate the Constitution by initiating multiple impeachment complaints in a year. They also asked if the 20th Congress is prepared to pursue the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

During a press conference, dela Rosa stated that his initial motion in the 20th Congress would be to determine if the Senate is willing to be bound by the actions of the previous Senate to settle the jurisdiction issue.

Senate President Chiz Escudero mentioned that the impeachment court could decide by a simple majority vote whether to dismiss the case against Duterte, requiring at least 13 votes for any motion to be approved.

In a 35-page response, Duterte's camp requested the dismissal of the impeachment complaint, labeling it as 'void ab initio' or invalid from the start.

According to the source: Inquirer.net.