House on VP impeachment: We complied with constitutional provisions
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has reiterated that it complied with the 1987 Constitution’s provisions when lawmakers impeached Vice President Sara Duterte and sent the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Secretary General Reginald Velasco said on Wednesday.
Velasco said this in response to the two petitions filed before the Supreme Court (SC)—both seeking to stop the impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
“The House of Representatives ensured compliance with all constitutional requirements when it filed the Articles of Impeachment and transmitted it to the Senate,” Velasco said in a statement sent to reporters.
READ: Petition to stop impeachment trial vs VP Duterte filed at Supreme Court
According to the House official, they only became aware of the two petitions after hearing it from news reports, adding that they have not received copies of the documents as of now.
As such, Velasco said they will wait for the official copies before making any comments on the issue.
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Article continues after this advertisement“We are aware of the two petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging the validity and constitutionality of the impeachment complaint filed and transmitted to the Senate,” he said.
READ: Solons fear VP Duterte’s vow to face impeach raps is just lip service
“We came to know about the petitions through the various media outlets. Considering that we have not received copies of any of these petitions, we are constrained to wait until we are furnished copies before we respond to any query on the matter,” he added.
Two petitions seeking to stop the impeachment complaints were filed on Tuesday. Initially, it was announced that Mindanao-based lawyers asked that the SC stop the Senate from proceeding with an impeachment since the House supposedly did not observe the Constitution’s rules, which requires it to act on filed impeachment complaints within 10 session days.
Velasco on Tuesday said the issue is already moot, as the three impeachment complaints which were not used have been sent to the archives.
But on Wednesday, it was revealed that Duterte herself, represented by allied lawyers including her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, also asked the SC on Tuesday to stop the impeachment proceedings.
Duterte’s petition was hinged on a supposed violation of Constitutional provisions stating that only one impeachment complaint will be initiated against a sitting official per year.
Earlier, several House members questioned the reasoning behind Duterte’s petition, as she previously said that she considers the impeachment proceedings an avenue to dispute issues thrown at her.
In separate statements, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales, Deputy Speaker David Suarez, and Assistant Majority Leader Jude Acidre questioned the need for a petition if Duterte’s camp is confident that they can disprove allegations and issues hurled against her.
As early as December 2024 though, House lawmakers have already expressed doubts about Duterte’s assurance that she will address issues once the impeachment proceedings start — with Zambales 1st District Rep. Jefferson Khonghun saying that this might just be another “lip service.”
Duterte was impeached last February 5 after 215 House members filed and verified a fourth complaint. The articles of impeachment were immediately sent to the Senate, as the 1987 Constitution states that trial shall begin “forthwith” if the verified complaint was submitted by one-thirds of all House members.
With 306 lawmakers in the House, the goal was to get at least 102 members to sign the complaint.
Despite the transmittal of the articles of impeachment, trial has yet to start as there were questions whether it is proper for the 19th Congress to proceed when the 2025 midterms elections would surely change the composition in the Senate.
However, there is a belief that since the Senate is a continuing body, it can start the hearings on the 19th Congress and cross over to the 20th Congress. Earlier, former senator Panfilo Lacson likened the Senate’s situation to the judiciary, where the retirement or replacement of justices from one division to another does not change the jurisdiction of the cases.
