Not enough time for impeachment, Jinggoy says
Metro Manila, Philippines – There is not enough time to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte before the 19th Congress adjourns in June 2025, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said, citing the upcoming congressional breaks.
“Hindi na. E we will adjourn on Dec 18, we will resume on Jan 13, we will adjourn again first week of Feb,” Estrada told reporters Tuesday night.
[Translation: Not anymore. We will adjourn on December 18, resume on January 13, and adjourn again in the first week of February.]
Estrada dismissed the likelihood of railroading the process.
“How can you fast track yun maraming – nabasa ko yung – the Senate President instructed us not to talk about it,” he said.
Pressed further if a special session could be held during the break, Estrada said, “I don’t think so. I’ll just keep mum on it.”
Estrada is the son of former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada who was impeached in 2001 over various graft and corruption issues. His father’s ouster took three months, from the filing of a complaint in October 2000 to a controversial Senate trial that culminated in a protest calling for the older Estrada’s ouster in January 2001.
While refraining from commenting on the current impeachment complaint against Duterte, Estrada noted that, historically, ousting presidents has not benefited the country.
“I had a previous statement before na I am against any impeachment cases kasi it will be – it will divide our country furthermore di ba? What happened to when my father was impeached? Gumanda ba buhay ng Pilipino? Wala naman. Nung natanggal yung matandang Marcos, gumanda ba? Lalong nag-worsen (Has the life of Filipinos improved? Not really. When the old Marcos was ousted, did things improve? It actually worsened),” he said.
Another son of President Estrada, Senator JV Ejercito, said he is unsure how the impeachment process would proceed given the congressional breaks and the busy campaign season.
“Hindi ko talaga alam e kasi by December break na tapos Feb to June is campaign season already so I really don’t know paano (I really don't know because by December, it's already a break, and from February to June is campaign season, so I really don't know how),” Ejercito said.
Multi-sectoral groups filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte on Monday, Dec. 2, that was endorsed by a lawmaker on the same day, marking the start of the process at the House of Representatives. Duterte gets impeached if at least one-third of the House votes in the affirmative, and the case is referred to the Senate which will then convene as the impeachment court for trial.
Among the issues against Duterte: her alleged failure to account for the P125 million in confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President in 2022, and another P650 million the following year for the OVP and the Department of Education, which she used to head. Duterte has yet to comment on her impeachment complaint.
