The Senate didn’t discuss the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on the last day of their session before taking a break for the 2025 election campaign.
Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. explained that they couldn’t talk about it yet because there was still important work to do on the documents. He needed to make sure everything was properly checked before it was discussed by the Senate.
Bantug told reporters that he hadn’t yet made his official report to the Senate President, which is his responsibility. He explained that the documents needed to be reviewed carefully before they could move forward. He also talked with House Secretary General Reginald Velasco to make sure the papers the House sent were the same as what the Senate received.
The Senate Secretary said they finished matching the documents right after the Senate session ended. Velasco had delivered the documents to the Senate about an hour after the House had voted to impeach Vice President Duterte.
The impeachment complaint was approved by the House, with 215 members supporting it, which was enough for the complaint to be sent to the Senate, as required by the 1987 Constitution. The Senate will act as the impeachment court to decide what happens next.
The complaint claims that Duterte violated the Constitution, betrayed public trust, was involved in corruption, and committed other serious crimes. These accusations came after a House committee investigated how Duterte’s office handled confidential funds for the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President.
Since the campaign period for the 2025 elections has started, Congress has now adjourned and will return to work on June 2.