Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday said the Senate is duty-bound to fulfill its constitutional mandate following the transmittal of the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Kapag constitutional mandate, gagawin mo lang,” Cayetano told reporters in a brief interview.
The senator was responding to a question on whether or not the Senate still needs to vote to convene as an impeachment court.
Cayetano acknowledged that a vote may be held among the 24 senators but cautioned against using it to block the process.
“Y’ung implementing it and applying it to the 24 senators, may botohan ‘yan. But just because may botohan doesn’t make it right,” he said.
He also said a simple majority vote in the plenary should not be able to overturn the constitutional mandate.
The House of Representatives transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate on February 5, 2025 — the last session day before the congressional break. The Senate, however, was not able to take action on the articles before adjourning.
When the chamber resumed its final session, the presentation of the articles was initially set for June 2 but was later moved to June 11 by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero to prioritize pending legislative measures before the 19th Congress ends.
