Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto – Photo from Vicente Tito Sotto/Facebook
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Friday he would support efforts to amend the Constitution following the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Sotto said he planned to meet with House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III next week to discuss next steps for the two chambers.
“What we can do is meet with the House of Representatives and discuss that issue. Because what I see as the immediate solution, though it can’t really be called immediate, is for us to change the Constitution. If it’s like that, then perhaps a constitutional assembly can act on it, or else we will be waiting for decades,” Sotto said.
He explained that a change in the Supreme Court’s (SC) composition would be needed for a shift in thinking on impeachment matters.
Sotto expressed puzzlement over the unanimous decision of the justices, saying he found it difficult to understand.
“It might really take years, or several retirements, before we can finally move forward and put that back in its proper place in the Constitution. As for me, I’m against a constitutional convention and I’m also against a constitutional assembly, but if we’re dealing with things like this, then I’m willing to agree,” he said.
He added that discussions with the House would focus on possible solutions to prevent similar impasses in the future.