Senator Robin Padilla has raised the possibility of skipping the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, warning that he and his allies may stop attending proceedings if the Senate impeachment court does not reverse what they consider a flawed interpretation of the Constitution.
Padilla, in a Sunday interview, said senators in the minority bloc had not yet discussed a possible boycott but did not rule out raising the idea soon.
“There has been no such discussion yet, but it may happen soon,” Padilla said.
At the center of the dispute is the impeachment court’s ruling that the two-thirds vote required for a decision should be based on the number of senators “legally and factually participating” in the proceedings.
Padilla objected to the interpretation, saying the law should not be distorted in determining the constitutional voting threshold.
“There have been many surprising developments. Let us not identify whether we belong to the minority or majority bloc because it would not look good if we engaged in politics while an impeachment trial is ongoing. We believe in upholding the Constitution,” he said.
“We do not want the law to be distorted. If the distortion of the law does not stop, the time may come when we will no longer attend the proceedings,” he added.
The senator and his allies have also taken the dispute to the Supreme Court.
Earlier this week, Padilla and Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, along with their party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), filed a petition seeking to nullify the impeachment court’s ruling.
In their petition for certiorari and prohibition, they asked the high court to issue a status quo ante order or a temporary restraining order directing the impeachment court and the House of Representatives not to exclude any senator from the constitutional count of “all members of the Senate.”
“The Constitution does not count only the senators it finds convenient. It says ‘all,’ and ‘all’ has never meant ‘some.’ Two-thirds of 24 is 16,” the petitioners said.
But the prospect of senators refusing to attend the trial drew criticism from the House prosecution panel.
Representative Jonathan Keith Flores said senators have a constitutional obligation to hear the case and decide on its merits, regardless of their political affiliations or disagreements over procedural rulings.
In a separate radio interview, Flores said those questioning the impeachment court’s interpretation should seek relief from the Supreme Court rather than consider abandoning the proceedings.
“It is unfortunate that they have that attitude because this is a constitutional duty. Regardless of your party or political allies, it is your duty to be there, hear the case, and decide on it,” Flores said.
Flores also took issue with senators who follow the proceedings online from their offices instead of attending in person, describing the practice as an “insult to the impeachment court.”
The dispute over the voting threshold has now opened another front in the impeachment proceedings, with Padilla’s camp challenging the court’s interpretation before the Supreme Court while the House prosecution panel insists that senators must fulfill their duty to participate in the trial.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.