Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa admitted drafting a copy of a Senate resolution aimed at blocking the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte in the upper chamber.
The document made the rounds in the Senate on Wednesday, which resulted in conflicting accounts from senators who remain undecided as a legislative body on how to deal with this issue.
“That came from my office. Read the resolution, you’ll understand everything. It’s very self-explanatory, what it says reflects exactly how I feel,” Dela Rosa said.
The resolution argues that the Senate’s failure to act on the Articles of Impeachment within 100 days of transmittal effectively nullifies the case and calls for it to be declared “de facto dismissed.”
Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero earlier denied seeing a copy of the said resolution that circulated on social media, which essentially dismisses the impeachment complaint against the Vice President.
Escudero and his fellow senators gave conflicting statements about such development with Senator Imee Marcos saying she found many versions of the said document.
Imee confirmed seeing a draft resolution in the Senate seeking the de facto dismissal of the impeachment case against the Vice President, whom she has formed an alliance with.
Imee, eldest sister of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., said the resolution circulating on social media is “one of the many drafts” she has seen calling for the dismissal of the complaint.
“Each had a different intention, that one was probably the third version I saw; there were many drafts, all trying to find the most effective and legally sound solution, one without loopholes,” she said.
Imee did not specify who authored the versions or whether any of them were formally filed.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada also said he received a printed copy of the said draft resolution.
Other senators, however, denied knowledge of such development.
Senators Risa Hontiveros and Cynthia Villar both said they have not seen any Senate resolution related to the impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. also confirmed that, as of this posting, no such resolution had been filed with the Senate Bills and Index Service.
Escudero on Wednesday firmly rejected any notion that the Senate is taking instructions from the House of Representatives.
“We are not subordinates of the House, and I will not act just because the Speaker wants the Vice President impeached. We will do our job according to the law, guided by the Senate’s own judgment, not merely following the will of one person or the other chamber,” he said.
Escudero also clarified that no resolution on the matter had been filed or was pending as of late Tuesday night.
“No such resolution filed nor pending as of last night when I left a little before 10 P.M.,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, on the other hand, said there is a strong possibility that the circulating Senate resolution seeking to dismiss the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte is fake.
“Flawed logic. Big chance not authentic. Even quotation of the constitutional provision is not accurate,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Originally posted with the headline “Chiz denies Senate resolution dismissing VP Sara impeachment.”
