MANILA – The Makabayan bloc condemned the Senate impeachment court’s return of the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives (HOR), a move which they said is unprecedented and unconstitutional. 

On Tuesday, June 10, the Senators who were just sworn in as impeachment judges approved a motion by Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano to remand the impeachment complaint to the HOR “without dismissing or terminating the case.”

Makabayan said that this was a dangerous departure from constitutional procedure and “sets a perilous precedent that undermines impeachment as a means for exacting accountability from the highest officials.”

“The Senate’s action is not only legally baseless but also a clear abdication of its constitutional duty to try impeachment cases,” they said in a statement. 

For the Makabayan bloc, this act of remanding is “part of a broader pattern of institutional manipulation designed to protect those in power from accountability.”

“The Senate’s decision effectively nullifies the House’s constitutional prerogative to impeach and denies the Filipino people their right to see justice served through proper constitutional channels,” they added. 

ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said, “The articles of impeachment cannot be returned to the House because our role here is finished. The Senate’s responsibility is to try the case, not to return it. As a co-equal chamber, it has no right to demand an explanation from the House regarding the process that led to the Vice President’s impeachment.” 

According to a news report, Cayetano, in his motion, said that the House of Representatives of the 20th Congress should certify that they did not violate the one impeachment per year and that the prosecutors [of the House of the 20th Congress] should communicate to the Senate that it is willing and ready to pursue the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Makabayan, however, stressed that once the House of Representatives votes to impeach and transmits the articles of impeachment to the Senate, the upper chamber’s role is to conduct a trial, not to return the articles as if they were defective legislation.

“This unconstitutional maneuver will only further inflame the burgeoning outrage of the Filipino people who are already witnessing the systematic erosion of democratic processes under this administration,” Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas said.

“Ang mga mamamayang Pilipino ay hindi tanga. They can see how institutions are being used to protect corrupt officials. This kind of political maneuvering will only further fuel the anger of the public,” Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel said. 

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) President Renato Reyes Jr. described the Senate’s move as a shameless abdication of their constitutional mandate. “Those in power have again chosen to uphold impunity and set aside accountability,” he said. 

“They want us to be consoled by the qualifier that the impeachment has not been dismissed but in reality, what they did was to undo what the Lower House and the people have achieved – the transmittal of the articles of impeachment. It’s as if no impeachment ever took place. Isn’t that worse than a dismissal?” Reyes said in a statement.

Progressive groups are expected to troop to the Senate on June 11 to express indignation over the Senate’s move.  

Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached at the House of Representatives on allegations of corruption, betrayal of public trust and violations of the Constitution. The articles of impeachment were transmitted to the Senate in February this year. (DAA)