The Senate is scheduled to deliberate on the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling that declared the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional on August 6, 2025, Senate President Francis Escudero said Tuesday.
During the plenary session, Escudero said the date was agreed upon during a caucus held earlier that day to give senators “ample and sufficient time” to review the high court’s decision.
“For the record, it was agreed in caucus that the matter will be decided upon by the Senate on August 6, 2025, when we open session on that date,” Escudero said. He noted that this allows senators to study the 97-page Supreme Court ruling, excluding the concurring and separate opinions filed by five or six additional justices.
Voting 13-0, the SC earlier ruled that the impeachment complaint violated the one-year bar rule under Article XI, Section 3, Paragraph 5 of the Constitution and Duterte’s right to due process. The decision is immediately executory, though a motion for reconsideration may still be filed.
The high court clarified, however, that it was not absolving Duterte of the charges and that a new impeachment complaint may only be filed starting February 6, 2026.
Escudero said he believes the Senate need not reconvene as an impeachment court to act on the decision.
“If the Senate will act on it, the Senate should act on it as a Senate in plenary,” he said, pointing out that the SC had already ruled that the Senate had no jurisdiction over the complaint due to the constitutional one-year prohibition.
He warned that disregarding the SC’s decision could trigger a constitutional crisis.
Senate impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol earlier said the chamber is expected to vote on whether to proceed with deliberations after receiving the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration, insisting that the SC decision was based on erroneous findings that contradict official records. House spokesperson Princess Abante maintained that the decision was grounded in “erroneous facts” and expressed hope that it would be reversed.
“It is up to the Senate to perform their duties as mandated by the Constitution,” Abante said.
The Senate also announced the chairpersons of at least 31 committees for the 20th Congress, with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano leading the list with four chairmanships.
Cayetano will chair the committees on Accounts; Higher, Technical and Vocational Education; Justice and Human Rights; and Science and Technology.
Senators with three chairmanships each include Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (Health and Demography; Sports; Youth), Imee Marcos (Cooperatives; Foreign Relations; Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development), Pia Cayetano (Energy; Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking; Ways and Means), and Robin Padilla (Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes;
Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs; Public Information and Mass Media).
Ten committees from the 19th Congress currently remain without chairpersons, including those on Banks and Financial Institutions; Civil Service; Culture and the Arts; Economic Affairs; Electoral Reforms; Ethics and Privileges;
Government Corporations; Rules; Urban Planning and Housing; and Women and Gender Equality.
Below is the current list of Senate committee chairpersons for the 20th Congress:
- Accountability of Public Officers & Investigations (Blue Ribbon): Sen. Rodante Marcoleta
- Accounts: Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
- Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform: Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan
- Basic Education: Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino
- Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes: Sen. Robin Padilla
- Cooperatives: Sen. Imee Marcos
- Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs: Sen. Robin Padilla
- Energy: Sen. Pia Cayetano
- Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change: Sen. Camille Villar
- Finance: Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian
- Foreign Relations: Sen. Imee Marcos
- Games and Amusement: Sen. Erwin Tulfo
- Health and Demography: Sen. Bong Go
- Higher, Technical and Vocational Education: Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
- Justice and Human Rights: Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
- Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development: Sen. Imee Marcos
- Local Government: Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito
- Migrant Workers: Sen. Raffy Tulfo
- National Defense and Security: Sen. Jinggoy Estrada
- Public Information and Mass Media: Sen. Robin Padilla
- Public Order and Dangerous Drugs: Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa
- Public Services: Sen. Raffy Tulfo
- Public Works: Sen. Mark Villar
- Science and Technology: Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
- Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development: Sen. Erwin Tulfo
- Sports: Sen. Bong Go
- Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking: Sen. Pia Cayetano
- Tourism: Sen. JV Ejercito
- Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship: Sen. Rodante Marcoleta
- Ways and Means: Sen. Pia Cayetano
- Youth: Sen. Bong Go
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