Do the senators have time for VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment?

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 7:13 p.m.) — The House of Representatives made the historic move of impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte, but the move comes at a precarious time, with the Senate, which will act as the impeachment court, set to take a break for the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.

The timing of the impeachment raises questions about the feasibility of a timely trial. Half of the Senate will be replaced following the elections, with many reelectionist senators likely wanting to spend the break campaigning rather than trying an impeachment complaint.

This may leave the status of the impeachment case with more questions than answers. For one, can the senators try Duterte’s impeachment case on time?

Sen. Joel Villanueva, prior to the House vote, pointed to the need for new rules for possible impeachment proceedings.

Legal experts suggest that an impeachment case could be processed while sessions are on break. Senate President Francis Escudero, in December 2024, himself said that senators could work on impeachment proceedings during the break since it is a special case.

Villanueva, however, maintained that plenary action would determine if lawmakers can work on the impeachment case during the break.

Villanueva also addressed the possibility of the newly elected senators trying the impeachment case, saying that anything is possible and that senators would do their job as necessary.

"Whatever is needed here, as representatives of the people, as senators of the people, that is what we will do," he said in Filipino.

Villanueva said senators should know that once they take their oath, being part of a possible impeachment court is part of the deal.

In an interview following the House's official impeachment, reelectionist Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, a known ally of the Duterte clan, suggested that the Senate might tackle the impeachment complaint after the midterms, when Congress starts a new session.

He lamented the potential time away from campaigning, saying, "Poor Bato, he could not campaign, we should help him. Bato is judging in the impeachment court, he could not go around."

The complaint. Duterte's impeachment complaint stems from four different allegations,