Manila, Aug. 7 -- Senators from the minority bloc expressed strong reservations on Thursday over the Senate's decision to archive the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, warning that it set a troubling precedent for future accountability proceedings.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros said the 19-4-1 vote to archive the complaint effectively "abandoned" the Senate's constitutional mandate to act as an impeachment court.

"Ang leksyon dito ay dapat seryoso kami sa tungkulin naming ibinigay ng Saligang Batas. Parang inabandona ng Senado ang tungkulin nito kagabi (The lesson here is we must be protective of our constitutional duties. It felt like the Senate abandoned its role last night)," Hontiveros said i...