Impeachment Dead! Senate Sends Duterte Case to the Archives

The Philippine Senate voted to archive the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, following a Supreme Court decision declaring the complaint unconstitutional.

With the vote, the Senate effectively terminated all proceedings related to Duterte’s impeachment trial, which was originally triggered by charges of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. The impeachment was approved by the House of Representatives on February 5 with the backing of over 200 lawmakers.

The Senate acted on a motion filed by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, as amended by Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva. A separate motion from Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III to table the proceedings was rejected, with only five affirmative votes against 19 opposing.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, in explaining his vote in favor of archiving, emphasized the Senate’s duty to uphold the rule of law and respect the decision of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had unanimously ruled that the impeachment complaint against Duterte violated Article XI, Section 3(5) of the 1987 Constitution, which prohibits more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a one-year period. The Court also cited violations of Duterte’s right to due process and asserted that the Senate had not acquired jurisdiction to proceed with the case.

Despite the ruling, the high tribunal clarified that Duterte is not absolved of the accusations and that a new impeachment complaint may be filed beginning February 6, 2026.

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the House of Representatives, through the Office of the Solicitor General, filed a motion for reconsideration. House leaders argued that the legislative branch should be allowed to exercise its constitutional mandate in prosecuting impeachable officials.

Senator Sotto, representing the Senate minority, maintained that the chamber should have waited for the outcome of the motion for reconsideration before deciding to archive the complaint. He stood by his dissent, remarking on his long history of voting with the minority on contentious issues.

The Senate’s decision marks a critical development in the months-long political and legal battle surrounding the country’s second-highest elected official.