The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte should proceed and the Senate impeachment court must not entertain motions to dismiss or convict the vice president, Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Monday.

In a press conference, Hontiveros reacted to Senate President and impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero's statement that all senator-judges could present any motion in the court.

"For us senator-judges, our understanding of our duties is to conduct a trial. And for us to eventually vote whether to convict or acquit, we need to listen to the evidence of every article of impeachment," Hontiveros said.

"We need to analyze and listen to every witness in every article. Due process requires it. We cannot just vote, dismiss, in effect acquit, just because there's a motion to dismiss. In the same way, we can't vote to convict when we haven't held a trial," the senator added.

Hontiveros said that dismissing or convicting Duterte outright, as pushed by the Vice President's legal team in their Answer Ad Cautelam submitted to the Senate impeachment court on June 24 would not be fair to the prosecution, the vice president, and the public.

"I do not agree that it is our right as the Senate Impeachment Trial Court to vote and decide on the motion to dismiss, without the trial starting, as stated in the formal answer ad cautelam," Hontiveros explained.

The senator also confirmed that the newly elected senators of the 20th Congress may already take their oath as senator-judges.

"Anytime of June 30, 12:01 p.m. onwards, the presiding officer can ask the incoming senators to take oath," Hontiveros said.

Senators Vicente Sotto III, Panfilo Lacson Jr., Erwin Tulfo, Bam Aquino, Rodante Marcoleta, Francis Pangilinan and Camille Villar will be joining the impeachment trial of Duterte as senator-judges.

Re-elected senators were Bong Go, who topped the 2025 elections, Ronald Dela Rosa, Pia Cayetano, Imee Marcos and Lito Lapid. Velle White/DMS