politics
Sotto Says Senate Will Convene as Impeachment Court if House Transmits Duterte Articles
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III affirmed the chamber’s constitutional duty to convene as an impeachment court if the House transmits articles against Vice President Sara Duterte. Two pro-Duterte YouTube channels circulated false claims that Sotto had withdrawn, videos that together drew more than 455,000 views.
manilatimes.netAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III declared the upper chamber ready to convene as an impeachment court should the House of Representatives impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, directly contradicting viral videos claiming he had backed out. A video posted on May 4, 2026, asserted that Sotto had withdrawn from his role and that the impeachment would not proceed.
The clip, uploaded by the YouTube channel “Philippines Trending News,” which has over 534,000 subscribers, has garnered over 19,000 views, 600 likes, and 50 comments.
2 million subscribers. That earlier video accumulated over 436,000 views, 26,000 likes, and 1,500 comments. Both channels have consistently posted pro-Duterte content.
Sotto dismissed the claims. “Based on the Constitution, it’s automatic. That’s our job. No matter what others say, what matters is what the Constitution says: when Articles of Impeachment are received, we convene as an impeachment court,” he stated.
He added that the Senate can convene almost immediately after receiving the articles of impeachment. The trial proper, however, would require substantial preparation. Sotto explained that the process includes sending a copy of the Articles of Impeachment to the impeached official, allowing time for a response, conducting pre-trial proceedings, and only then moving to the trial itself.
He cited the Senate’s experience in the 2012 impeachment case of the late chief justice Renato Corona, in which pre-trial proceedings were held first. Sotto said the Senate may conduct the trial proper by June. The Senate can convene as an impeachment court after at least one-third or 106 members of the House of Representatives approve the articles of impeachment.
