Metro Manila, Philippines – The Senate, sitting as Impeachment Court, has no constitutional authority to outright dismiss the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte, House trial spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong said Monday, June 29.
In an interview on The Newsmaker, Adiong rejected Duterte’s request for the Senate to dismiss the Articles of Impeachment, arguing that the Constitution requires senators to conduct a trial before rendering judgment.
“The Constitution is very clear. The Senate’s mandate is to try and decide,” Adiong said. “There has to be a proper trial where evidence is presented, witnesses are heard and both sides are given the opportunity to be heard.”
Adiong said the Impeachment Court is “not an appellate court” that can review or overturn the House of Representatives decision to impeach the vice president.
“Neither the Senate nor the senators have the discretion to outright dismiss the case,” he said, adding that the court either convicts or acquits after evaluating the evidence.
Duterte has asked the Senate to dismiss the impeachment case, arguing that the proceedings in the House violated her right to due process, relied on insufficient evidence and were tainted by prejudgment.
Adiong disputed the claims, saying the House committee on justice repeatedly gave the vice president opportunities to participate in the proceedings but she chose to skip.
He noted that Duterte’s legal team submitted a pretrial brief, which, he said recognized the court’s jurisdiction despite seeking the dismissal of the case.
“The proper forum they referred to is already the Senate, yet what we saw was a motion to dismiss and a general denial instead of specific answers to the allegations,” Adiong said.
