📷 Bayan Muna Chairman and first nominee Atty. Neri Colmenares
Bayan Muna Chairman and first nominee Neri Colmenares today urged Pres. Ferdinand Marcos to call for the convening of a special session of Congress so the Senate could immediately start an impeachment trial. June 2 is too late as it will be very difficult for the Senate to finish the impeachment trial by June.
“The Senate impeachment court has to be set up immediately as it would be very difficult for it to finish the trial if it starts hearings after June 2, 2025. Article VI Section 15 of the Constitution states that “The Congress shall convene once every year on the fourth Monday of July for its regular session, xxx until thirty days before the opening of its next regular session, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays”. Considering that the 4th Monday of July falls on July 28, Congress only has up to June 16, 2025, to hold sessions. This leaves the Senate with only 12 days to hold impeachment trials since June 4 is a regular holiday. While the impeachment court may hold hearings even if Congress is not in session, it will still be difficult for it to finish trial before June 30 since Rule VII of the Senate Impeachment Rules grants Respondent VP Sara Duterte ten (10) days from receipt of the impeachment complaint to file her answer, which means that the impeachment court can only start hearings at the earliest after June 13, 2025—making it very difficult for the court to finish its proceedings,” Bayan Muna first nominee Neri Colmenares declared.
“Bayan Muna demands that Pres. Marcos faithfully implement the Constitution for the impeachment trial to “proceed forthwith” by calling for a special session before the end of February so that the Impeachment Court can start by March. The Senate has the discretion to hold impeachment hearings at any time under Rule III of the Senate Impeachment Rules which provides that “Unless the Senate provides otherwise, it shall continue in session from day to day (except Saturdays, Sundays, and nonworking holidays) until final judgment shall be rendered, and so much longer as may, in its judgment, be necessary”, asserted Colmenares.
“President Marcos has the power under Art. VI Sec. 15 of the Constitution which provides that “The President may call a special session at any time”. Pres. Marcos can use as the basis for such call that he is only fulfilling the constitutional demand for the impeachment trial to proceed ‘forthwith” under Article XI Section 3 (4) of the Constitution which provides that “In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed” explained Colmenares who was a public prosecutor in the impeachment of Ombudsman Merciditas Guttierez and Chief Justice Renato Corona.
It can schedule the hearings at any time that there is a quorum starting in March should some senators refuse to attend the impeachment trial for fear of losing votes in Duterte bailiwicks. After all, at least 12 of the incumbent senators are not running in the 2025 elections. If the Senate really wants to fulfill its constitutional duty, it should also request the president to call for a special session” he concluded.#
