There will be no impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte if Senate President Vicente Sotto III is removed from his post and replaced by a leader from the minority, former senator Franklin Drilon said.
Drilon, a former Senate president himself, linked the power struggle in the Senate to the stalled impeachment bid against Duterte and the political maneuvering ahead of the 2028 elections. He said a leadership change favoring the minority bloc would effectively block any attempt to revive impeachment proceedings.
“If Sen. Tito Sotto is replaced as Senate president and the new Senate president comes from the minority, the Senate trial will not push through. Based on what we’ve seen in the past few months, the impeachment proceedings in the Senate did not continue. That, in my view, is what will happen if Senator Sotto is replaced by somebody from the camp of Duterte, which is in the minority,” Drilon said.
Drilon said that the situation shifts only if Sotto retains his position. “Now, if Tito Sotto remains as Senate president, there’s a chance, assuming the House transmits the complaint to the Senate, that a trial will take place,” he said.
The House of Representatives impeached the vice president in February 2025, and transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate. The process stalled months later when the Senate voted to archive the complaint after the Supreme Court ruled the impeachment unconstitutional.
Sotto was among four senators who voted against archiving the complaint, along with Sens. Bam Aquino, Senator Risa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan. Nineteen senators voted to archive the case, including then-Senate President Chiz Escudero, while Sen. Ping Lacson abstained.
Drilon said efforts to unseat Sotto are closely tied to positioning for the 2028 elections. He noted that several minority senators are identified with either the vice president or her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, including Sens. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Robin Padilla, Imee Marcos, Christopher “Bong” Go and Rodante Marcoleta.
Padilla has publicly stated that he would oppose any impeachment trial against Duterte, warning that pushing the case could trigger a change in Senate leadership.
While Sotto has said he continues to have majority support, Drilon pointed to the narrow margin separating the blocs, noting that shifting alliances could determine both the Senate presidency and the fate of any future impeachment attempt.
He also cited Sen. Pia Cayetano, a member of the majority bloc and the sister of Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano. “So, assuming Alan is interested in becoming Senate president, Pia would shift to the minority to vote for her brother,” Drilon said.
Drilon’s assessment highlights a political landscape that works in Duterte’s favor. Without control of the Senate presidency, any renewed impeachment effort faces steep resistance, leaving the vice president shielded by Senate arithmetic and alliance dynamics rather than courtroom confrontation.
