No bloodbath? Prosecution scoffs in Duterte bid to junk impeachment raps

Metro Manila, Philippines - Calling it “nothing more than a scrap of paper,” Vice President Sara Duterte pleaded not guilty to the impeachment complaint and asked the court to throw it out, at the same time drawing ridicule from the prosecution.

In a 251-page document filed with the Impeachment Court on Monday, June 23, Duterte said she responded to the summons without waiving her jurisdictional and other legal objections.

She moved for the dismissal of the complaint on three main grounds.

First, Duterte argued that it was the fourth impeachment complaint against her, in direct violation of the 1987 Constitution, which bars the initiation of more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a one-year period.

She also noted that the House of Representatives failed to refer the first three complaints to the appropriate bodies, thereby violating its own internal rules.

Duterte has a petition pending before the Supreme Court seeking to nullify the complaint and halt the proceedings on similar constitutional grounds.

Finally, she asserted that the complaint lacks “statements of ultimate facts” and was “an abuse of the impeachment process.”

“Stripped of its ‘factual’ and legal conclusions, it is nothing more than a scrap of paper,” wrote Duterte.

She argued that she should not be compelled to file a response, given the court’s decision to remand the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives.

More than 200 lawmakers voted to impeach her on Feb. 5. However, when the Senate convened as the Impeachment Court four months later, it returned the complaint to the House to address certain legal issues.

Duterte said the Impeachment Court lacked jurisdiction over the case and that the Constitution does not permit the proceedings to carry over into the 20th Congress.

Not the ‘bloodbath’

In an online interview with reporters on Tuesday, June 24, House prosecution panel spokesperson Antonio Bucoy fired back at the Duterte camp’s attempt to discredit the impeachment complaint.

“E kung basura bakit niyo sinagot [If it was trash, why did you respond to the complaint]?” Bucoy challenged.

He criticized the filing for focusing on procedural issues.

“Iyan ay [That is an] expected move kung hindi mo kaya sagutin ang [if you are unable to respond to the] factual allegations. You resort to procedure, idadivert mo, ililihis mo ang usapin [you will divert the conversation],” Bucoy said.

“Hindi ito yung bloodbath na inaasahan namin [This was not the bloodbath that we expected],” he said, echoing a phrase previously used by Duterte.

Still, Bucoy said the filing marks progress in the impeachment proceedings.

“Buhay na buhay ang Articles of Impeachment [The Articles of Impeachment are active and alive],” he said.

“Matutuloy ang trial because meron nang sagot. Kung ang sagot niya ay ganyan lang, ‘yan ay kanya nang kakulangan [The trial will proceed since there is already a response. If her answer is as plain and simple, that is her shortcoming],” he added.

‘Not guilty’

Duterte did address the charges against her, firmly stating that none of the allegations had any basis or were supported by evidence.

These include accusations that she plotted to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez; misused confidential funds; influenced procurement processes by corrupting education officials; accumulated unexplained wealth; was involved in extrajudicial killings; and engaged in acts of political destabilization.

“Considering all the foregoing, the Vice President enters a plea of not guilty, without waiving any of her jurisdictional and other objections over the charges,” Duterte pleaded.