CLAIM: Senator-judge Vicente “Tito” Sotto III wants Vice President Sara Duterte to be convicted without due process, bypassing the law.
VERDICT: FALSE
FACT: Sen. Sotto did not call for VP Sara Duterte’s conviction without due process.
A viral social media post falsely claims that Senator-judge Vicente “Tito” Sotto III wants Vice President Sara Duterte to be convicted without due process and that the impeachment trial should no longer follow the law.
However, there were no official records, public statements, interviews, videos, and credible news reports found that Sotto made such a statement. There is no official transcript, verified video, or reliable report showing that he called for Vice President Duterte’s conviction without due process or urged the Senate to bypass constitutional procedures during the impeachment trial.
The circulating post was shared in the pro-Duterte Facebook group “The Best Ka Inday Sara” and did not originate from a credible news organization, government agency, or verified official source. It also provides no evidence to support its claim.
Regardless of statements made by individual senator-judges, the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, remains bound by the 1987 Constitution and its own impeachment rules.
Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial is ongoing; before any conviction can be reached, the Constitution requires the presentation of evidence, observance of due process, and the concurrence of at least two-thirds of all senator-judges.
Claims suggesting that the impeachment court can simply disregard due process are therefore misleading and inconsistent with the constitutional process governing impeachment proceedings.
