The leadership change in the Senate is linked to the upcoming impeachment trial of Duterte.
CAGAYAN DE ORO — With 257 affirmative votes, the House of Representatives (HOR) impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, making her the first official in the country to be impeached twice.
This affirmed that the Articles of Impeachment against her deserve to go to trial. These are culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes related to the alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, alleged monetary gifts to Department of Education officials, and her threat to assassinate government officials, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Duterte’s impeachment at the HOR on May 11, however, coincided with the leadership change at the Senate. This raises questions if it had something to do with the upcoming transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano was appointed as the new Senate President, ousting Sen. Vicente Sotto III. The Senate also made headlines after the reappearance of Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa after months of hiding. The International Criminal Court recently issued an arrest warrant against him.
Read:Kin of drug war victims demand Senate to surrender Bato to ICC
Once the trial starts, is the impeachment of the second highest official of the land possible in the Senate?
Duterte-allied
Thirteen senators voted for Cayetano—the running mate of former President Rodrigo Duterte during the 2016 elections—as the new Senate President. Nine senators, meanwhile, voted for the retention of Sotto, and the remaining two abstained.
Of the 13, some of them are known allies of the Dutertes. These include Dela Rosa, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, and Rodante Marcoleta.
These senators, including Cayetano, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Joel Villanueva, and Jinggoy Estrada, declared themselves the Senate’s new minority bloc following Escudero’s ouster as Senate President in September 2025.
The Senate’s minority bloc, including senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Bong Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, Jinggoy Estrada, and Bato dela Rosa, pose for a group photo on September 9, 2025, after a sudden leadership change in the upper chamber. Photo courtesy of the Senate of the Philippines
These nine legislators from the minority, if they all decided to support Duterte, would be enough to acquit the Vice President in the impeachment case, as the Senate, under the Constitution, requires a two-thirds vote (or 16 out of 24 senators) to impeach an impeachable official.
Possibly delay
Renato Reyes Jr., president of the multisectoral alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), alleged that the leadership change in the Senate is linked to the upcoming impeachment trial of Duterte, expressing concern that it may result in a delay.
Article XI, Section 3(4) of the Constitution states that the trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed after the House constitutes the Articles of Impeachment.
The upper chamber, Reyes said, may use the Supreme Court decision issued during the first impeachment case against the Vice President, clarifying that the word “forthwith” is not synonymous with “immediate.”
“But the most serious implication, of course, is Duterte’s possible acquittal in the impeachment trial,” Reyes wrote in a Facebook post.
Progressive lawmakers under the Makabayan bloc, on the other hand, rejected claims that holding officials into account amid the continuing crisis is “divisive or distracting,” stressing that the impeachment is a constitutional process and the complaints against Duterte are well-documented.
Read:Why her impeachment case matters
Party-list representatives Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers, Sarah Jane Elago of Gabriela Women’s Party, and Renee Co of Kabataan also turned down claims of double standards. “We hold Marcos Jr. accountable, as well as Duterte.”
“[C]orruption bleeds public resources precisely when they are most needed. Every peso stolen, misused, or hidden is a peso denied to hungry families, underpaid teachers, unemployed workers, and communities without adequate services,’ the Makabayan lawmakers said in a joint statement.
Reyes said that the Senate should not be a refuge for a high-ranking official who is accused of impeachable offenses. “The trial must proceed.” (AMU, DAA)
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