Senator Kiko Pangilinan said the Senate should have waited for the Supreme Court’s decision on the Motion for Reconsideration (MR) filed by the House to reverse its earlier decision on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The senator also insisted that the Senate should respect the House as a co-equal body through inter-chamber courtesy and allowed the Motion for Reconsideration to be resolved before the Articles of Impeachment sent to the House on February 5 take effect.
Therefore, for the Senator, voting to file the complaint while the MR is pending is “premature” as the decision can still be changed or reversed.
While he stressed his respect for the Supreme Court, he said its decision to strip the Senate of its power as an impeachment court and the House as the sole authority to initiate impeachment proceedings is precedent-setting.
Through the House MR, Pangilinan believes that the Supreme Court can “unite” the conflicting provisions of the Constitution and give clear and legal effect to its power to conduct judicial review —the House’s sole power to initiate impeachment —and the Senate’s sole power to try and decide cases.
