Senator Robin Padilla said a change in Senate leadership could be considered if the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte advance to the Senate for trial. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Padilla stressed that he currently sees no reason to replace Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, adding that leadership changes might only become relevant in the context of impeachment proceedings. Padilla, a known ally of the vice president, reiterated his opposition to any impeachment move against Duterte. When asked if the next Senate leader should openly back the vice president, Padilla replied that such support should be clear and not merely implied. Duterte was impeached by the House on February 5, 2025, with the fourth complaint transmitted to the Senate for trial. His remarks came a day after two new impeachment complaints were filed against her in the House of Representatives, following claims that the one-year constitutional bar on filing impeachment cases had already expired based on a recent Supreme Court ruling. Should an impeachment trial proceed in the Senate, Padilla said he would prefer that the presiding officer come from the minority bloc or be someone supportive of Duterte. However, the Senate later voted in August 2025 to archive the case after the Supreme Court ruled that the impeachment was void from the beginning.
