MANILA — Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said he will not sign the resolution questioning the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the impeachment case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, citing the need to respect the High Court’s authority.

“Hindi ako abogado pero marunong akong rumespeto at sumunod sa hatol ng Korte Suprema kaya hindi niyo ako mapapapirma sa isang resolusyon na kumukwestyon nito,” Dela Rosa said when asked to comment on the resolution filed by Senators Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Risa Hontiveros, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III seeking to pursue Duterte’s impeachment.

In an earlier text message to reporters, the senator also said, “I have no idea about that. If there’s any, I am not foolish enough to sign it.”

On July 25, the Supreme Court unanimously declared the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, citing violations of the one-year bar rule, the due process clause, and the right to speedy disposition of cases.

The same complaint was the subject of Dela Rosa’s privilege speech before the close of the 19th Congress, in which he described the impeachment effort as “Constitutionally-infirm.”

“Had the House complied with their own rules and the Constitution, the three previous impeachment complaints would have been referred to the appropriate Committee by the time the present impeachment complaint was filed and sponsored by the members of the House of Representatives,” Dela Rosa said in his speech. “In other words, your Honors, the intentional inaction of the House of Representatives allowed its members to purportedly circumvent the one-year ban enshrined in Article XI, Section 3 paragraph 5 of the Constitution.”

“Given the glaring circumvention of the Constitution, should we allow impeachment complaints which are Constitutionally-infirm to be heard and tried by this body?… Hindi po ba mawawalan ng saysay ang pagconvene ng Senate as an impeachment court kung malinaw na labag sa Konstitusyon ang nais nating itayo?” he added.

Dela Rosa’s speech, it said, prompted the Senate to remand the Articles of Impeachment back to the House of Representatives.