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Dismiss impeachment complaint vs VP: Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa moves for the outright dismissal of the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte during plenary session Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Dela Rosa cited constitutional violations and questions on the jurisdiction and authority facing the incoming 20th Congress. According to Dela Rosa, the House of Representatives (HREP) failed to act on the first three verified impeachment complaints filed in December 2024. He said Article XI, Section 3, Paragraph 2 of the 1987 Constitution stated that impeachment complaints must be included in the HREP's order of business within 10 session days and referred to the appropriate committee within three session days. However, he said no such action took place on the three impeachment complaints that were filed. He said the HREP secretary general disclosed that members of the majority asked him to withhold the transmittal of the impeachment complaints to the speaker of the HREP to give themselves more time to decide whether or not to file another impeachment complaint. He said the HREP transmitted to the Senate a verified impeachment complaint against the vice president less than an hour before the close of the session on February 5, 2025. “Had the House complied with their own rules and the Constitution, the three previous impeachment complaints would have been referred to the appropriate Committee by the time the present impeachment complaint was filed and sponsored by the members of the HREP. In other words, the intentional inaction of the HREP allowed its members to purportedly circumvent the one-year ban enshrined in Article XI, Section 3, paragraph 5 of the Constitution,” Dela Rosa said. The senator also questioned the authority of the 20th Congress to continue the impeachment proceedings initiated by the 19th Congress. He pointed out that the composition of lawmakers in both Houses had changed following the recent elections, raising concerns regarding the legal and procedural continuity of the trial. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau) |
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