Bato moves to dismiss impeachment raps vs VP Sara

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa moved to dismiss the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, citing "constitutional infirmities" and "questions on the jurisdiction and authority of the 20th Congress."

Dela Rosa argued that the House of Representatives deliberately disregarded the Constitution and its own internal rules by not immediately referring the first three impeachment complaints filed in December 2024, allowing the House to circumvent the constitutional one-year ban on impeachment proceedings.

The fourth impeachment case against Duterte was transmitted to the Senate for trial on February 5, after her impeachment by the House of Representatives.

During a plenary session, Dela Rosa proposed to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Duterte, but later agreed to return it to the House of Representatives instead.

Eighteen senators voted to approve the motion to return the complaint to the House.

Dela Rosa defended his initial motion, stating there is no prohibition against senators filing such motions and that he agreed to modify his proposal due to "practical pressure" and a willingness to "give and take."