House members, incoming prosecutors hit return of Articles of Impeachment
Metro Manila, Philippines - House members and incoming impeachment prosecutors slammed the Senate’s remanding of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Akbayan Rep.-elect Chel Diokno and Mamamayang Liberal Rep.-elect Leila de Lima, poised to join the impeachment prosecution team, said the senator-judges ignored the Constitution.
“Ang pag-re-remand ng Senado ng Articles of Impeachment sa House of Representatives ay isang pag-aabandona ng ating Saligang Batas… That is really a clear grave abuse of discretion,“ Diokno said on Wednesday, June 11.
[Translation: The Senate’s remanding of the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives is an abandonment of the Constitution.]
“All the proceedings and motions taken in the so-called Impeachment Court are without legal basis. Where on earth does a judge move to dismiss a complaint without hearing the parties first?” de Lima asked.
The Makabayan bloc lawmakers said the court decision sets a “perilous precedent.”
“Hindi pwedeng ibalik sa Kamara ang mga Artikulo ng Impeachment dahil tapos na ang papel namin dito… Bilang co-equal na kamara, wala itong karapatang pagpaliwanagin ang Kongreso sa prosesong humantong sa impeachment ng bise presidente," ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said.
[Translation: The Articles of Impeachment cannot be returned to the House of Representatives because our job here is done. As a co-equal branch of government, the Senate has no right to ask the House for an explanation about the process in impeaching the vice president.]
"Ang mga mamamayang Pilipino ay hindi tanga. Nakikita nila kung paano ginagamit ang mga institusyon para protektahan ang mga corrupt na opisyal. Ang ganitong klaseng political maneuvering ay lalo lang magpapainit ng galit ng taumbayan,” Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel said.
[Translation: The Filipino people are not stupid. They see how the institutions are used to protect corrupt officials. This kind of political maneuvering will further enrage the public.]
“This unconstitutional maneuver will only further inflame the burgeoning outrage of the Filipino people who are already witnessing the systematic erosion of democratic processes under this administration," said Gabriela Women’s Rep. Arlene Brosas.
House Assistant Minority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr., one of the endorsers of the third impeachment complaint, called the remand “insulting” as the House fulfilled its mandate.
“Kaya kami nag-sign du’n because we believe na tama ang dokumentong ipinasok sa Senado. First time itong nangyari na ibinalik sa House of Representatives and I’m really very disappointed with the Senate of the Philippines,” he said.
[Translation: We signed the complaint because we believe in the documents transmitted to the Senate. This is the first time that the complaint was returned to the House of Representatives and I’m really very disappointed with the Senate of the Philippines.]
After the Senate convened as an impeachment court, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano amended Senator Bato Dela Rosa’s motion to dismiss the impeachment case for violating the Constitution’s one-year bar on initiating new impeachment proceedings.
Cayetano proposed that the Articles of Impeachment be “returned to the House of Representatives, without dismissing or terminating the case.” Eighteen favored his motion while five opposed.
In February, 215 House members voted to impeach Duterte on the grounds of graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes.
