MANILA — Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan confirmed that discussions among senators on a draft resolution regarding the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte have been ongoing since the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28.

Pangilinan said he initially presented the resolution, which he co-authored with Senators Risa Hontiveros and Bam Aquino, to several senators during the SONA. The resolution was later brought to the attention of the Senate majority during a caucus.

“After we had that statement, we brought it (resolution) to the attention of the majority in the caucus. But before that, I presented it during the SONA to some of the other senators, who said they would review it,” Pangilinan said in an interview on In The Public Square on July 30.

So far, the resolution has been signed by Pangilinan, Aquino, Hontiveros, and Senate Minority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III. It has yet to be officially filed and is currently under review by other senators.

The resolution comes after the three senators issued a joint statement opposing the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the impeachment trial of the Vice President.

Citing observations from former Supreme Court Justice Adolf Azcuna, Pangilinan said the resolution urges the high court “to harmonize what appears to be conflicting provisions of the Constitution” in relation to impeachment proceedings.

He explained that the House of Representatives followed the precedent set by the Francisco ruling, which defines the initiation of an impeachment process as the referral of a verified complaint to the House Committee on Justice. Duterte was impeached and the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate last February.

However, the Supreme Court ruled that the non-referral of the first three impeachment complaints against Duterte was tantamount to their dismissal, and that the fourth complaint violated the one-year bar on initiating impeachment cases.

“The House was guided by the Francisco ruling, so that should be valid. And then for the future, if you want the new definition to apply, (it’s) for future cases,” Pangilinan said.

The Senate is scheduled to convene on August 6 to discuss the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the impeachment proceedings against Duterte.