Senator Rodante Marcoleta moved to dismiss the verified impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte during the Senate plenary.

Marcoleta made the motion noting that the House of Representatives committed “several violations” in filing the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.

“Mr. President, when the Supreme Court (SC) negates the actions of a co-equal branch of government, it does not assert its superiority. Instead, it upholds the supremacy and the dominance of the fundamental law of the land—-the Constitution,” the first-term senator said while delivering his privilege speech.

“And so the Supreme Court has already spoken, the last arbiter of law. It says the complaint is unconstitutional, is void ab initio, is violative of due process. The Senate never acquired jurisdiction over this. It is immediately executory. And on that note, Mr. President, I respectfully move that the impeachment complaint be dismissed,” he added.

Marcoleta also said the impeachment proceedings conducted by the Senate in the 19th Congress were never formally carried over to the Senate of the 20th Congress.

“I do not know and I’m not aware, I cannot recall of any action so far taken by this august Chamber to the effect that the initial impeachment proceedings, which were deemed to have been terminated at the expiration of the 19th Congress at noon of June 30, 2025 have been miraculously brought to life into the present Congress,” he said.