Metro Manila, Philippines – The House of Representatives acted on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte in a “timely and decisive” manner, its spokesperson said on Tuesday, June 10.
Senate President Chiz Escudero has questioned House members for compelling the Senate to begin impeachment proceedings when it took the House around two months to discuss the complaint in the plenary and eventually transmit it to the Senate on Feb. 5.
“Ang trabaho ng House of Representatives ay hindi lang naman tumanggap at mag-transmit. Ang trabaho ng House of Representatives is to validate and verify these complaints to ensure na ito ay tama in form, tama in substance, tama on sa grounds at may tamang numero para i-transmit ‘to,” House spokesperson Princess Abante said in a press briefing.
[Translation: The House of Representatives job is not just to receive and transmit, but to validate and verify these complaints to ensure these are correct in form, in substance, and on grounds, and to ensure that it has the numbers to transmit it.]
Abante the House acted “immediately” in line with the law.
“Kung ga’no katagal o kung ga’no kabilis, hindi na ‘yan kasama sa kailangan alalahanin ng Senado. Ang kailangan alalahanin ng Senado ay ang kanilang tungkulin sa impeachment process ayon sa Constitution at ang sabi ng Constitution: proceed forthwith,” the spokesperson said.
[Translation: The speed should not be of concern to the Senate. What it needs to focus on is its mandate on the impeachment process. The Constitution states: proceed forthwith.]
After Duterte’s impeachment over the alleged mismanagement of public funds and killing threats to the First Family and the House speaker, a number of lawmakers and groups have been clamoring for the Senate to convene as an impeachment court.
The chamber did not convene after the February impeachment as the session went on a four-month break for the midterm elections.
Escudero initially scheduled the reading of the Articles of Impeachment when session resumed on June 2 but delayed it to June 11 to prioritize the passage of priority bills.
Escudero was sworn in as impeachment court presiding officer on Monday evening after a five-hour debate the minority moved for the immediate conduct of trial.
READ: Compromise reached: Senators to take oath without convening impeachment court yet
