MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III is intensifying preparations for the possibility of presiding over an impeachment trial involving Vice President Sara Duterte, underscoring the Senate’s readiness to serve as an impeachment court once complaints are formally transmitted to the chamber.
Sotto confirmed this week that he has undergone briefings from legal experts, including two justices of the Court of Appeals and one from the Court of Tax Appeals, to deepen his grasp of court procedures and the rules of evidence ahead of potential impeachment proceedings. The sessions, he said, aim to equip him for the demanding procedural role of presiding officer should the Senate be called to sit as an impeachment court.
“As a senator, you must be aware of what is acceptable in the rules of evidence,” he said, noting that these legal frameworks will shape how trial proceedings are managed. While he stopped short of outlining a timetable for trial, the Senate leader said it is part of the Senate’s institutional duties to be prepared for impeachment cases.
The two impeachment complaints against Duterte were transmitted to the office of Speaker Faustino Dy Jr. last Thursday.
The two complaints against Duterte were filed separately by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and endorsed by the Makabayan bloc and a group of progressive groups and endorsed by Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima and Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña.