Khonghun: Senate leadership petition won’t automatically delay Duterte impeachment trial

DEPUTY Speaker Jay Khonghun of Zambales on Wednesday said the filing of a petition arising from the Senate leadership dispute does not automatically suspend or delay the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, stressing that constitutional processes remain in force unless the Supreme Court (SC) orders otherwise. Khonghun issued the statement amid public concerns that legal challenges involving the Senate could disrupt the proceedings before the Senate impeachment court. “We understand why some Filipinos are worried. Whenever there is a legal challenge involving the Senate, people naturally ask whether the impeachment trial will be delayed,” Khonghun said. Former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and several of his allies have elevated the ongoing Senate leadership dispute to the Supreme Court, seeking judicial intervention to reverse the leadership changes implemented in the chamber earlier this month. In an 87-page petition, the Cayetano-led group asked the High Court to issue a status quo ante order that would effectively restore the Senate’s leadership structure prior to June 3. The petition seeks the reinstatement of Cayetano as Senate President, Sen. Loren Legarda as Senate President Pro Tempore, and the restoration of committee chairmanships and other Senate positions affected by the leadership reorganization. The petition argues that the Court’s intervention is necessary to halt what it described as “mob rule” and to restore institutional and structural stability within the Senate. Khonghun emphasized that the filing of a case and the suspension of a constitutional proceeding are two different matters. “The filing of a petition is not the same as the suspension of a trial,” Khonghun said. He pointed out that the petition itself does not seek to stop the impeachment proceedings. “The mere filing of a petition concerning the leadership row in the Senate does not automatically stop the impeachment process. The petition does not even ask for it,” he said. Khonghun noted that unless the SC issues a specific order suspending the proceedings, the impeachment process continues. “Unless the Supreme Court itself issues an order suspending proceedings, the process continues,” he said. The lawmaker likewise underscored that the constitutional mandate governing impeachment remains operative despite ongoing legal disputes. “The Constitution does not stop working simply because a case has been filed,” Khonghun said. “The Constitution remains in force. The impeachment court remains constituted in accordance with the Fundamental Law of the Land. The Constitution still commands that trial proceed forthwith.” Khonghun said the public should remain focused on the constitutional process and allow the institutions involved to perform their respective duties under the law. He stressed that, absent any contrary order from the SC, the Senate impeachment court remains bound by its constitutional responsibility to proceed with the trial.