House offices assigned to help impeachment prosecutors 鈥� Velasco
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco receives the second impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. The complaints, filed by progressive organizations led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, were sponsored by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel. (File photo from GABRIEL P. LALU / 黑料社)
MANILA, Philippines — After the Senate, it is now the House of Representatives’ turn to prepare for the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Different offices in the Batasang Pambansa have been tasked to provide technical and administrative support to the prosecution panel.
In a statement on Friday morning, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed that he has released Memorandum order No. 19-1006, which directs the following offices to perform these duties:
- Office of the House Secretary General (OSG), Legislative Operations Department, Legal Affairs Department, other reserve units: Secretariat
- OSG Support, Office of the Sergeant-at-arms, Information and Communications Technology Service: Support services on a rotation basis
Among the functions of the units would be to provide plenary support, legal research, records management, stenographic transcription, information technology, security and administrative coordination.
“The House Secretariat plays a vital role in ensuring the orderly conduct of legislative proceedings, including impeachment trials,” Velasco said.
Article continues after this advertisement“This directive ensures that the prosecution team has access to essential logistical, research and documentation support to facilitate a smooth and efficient trial process,” he noted.
Article continues after this advertisementAccording to the memorandum, personnel from these offices are required to report to the Senate full-time during the impeachment trial, while attendance would be monitored through the HousePass system.
Velasco noted that the assigned personnel “will adhere to strict House rules and ethical guidelines, ensuring transparency and professionalism throughout the process.”
“This is a routine function aligned with our constitutional duty. The House Secretariat remains neutral and professional in fulfilling its mandate,” he said.
“As the impeachment process moves forward, the Impeachment Secretariat will continue to provide the necessary support to uphold the integrity of the proceedings,” he added.
The formation of the House secretariat comes after Senate President Francis Escudero last Wednesday outlined the duty of different Senate offices and officials once the impeachment trial starts.
READ: Escudero readies ‘administrative support’ to Senate for VP’s impeachment
Prosecutor and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalo said Escudero’s decision may be a signal that the Senate is now tackling the matter with a sense of urgency.
However, Bongalon still hopes that trial starts sooner than Escudero’s prediction that the trial would start by July 2025 and end by October 2025.
READ: Senate can wrap up Sara Duterte impeachment trial in 3 months – Escudero
Duterte was impeached by the House last February 5 after 215 lawmakers filed and verified a fourth impeachment complaint.
The case was hinged on several issues like alleged misuse of confidential funds lodged within her offices, threats to ranking officials including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and conduct unbecoming of a vice president.
The Articles of Impeachment were immediately transmitted to the Senate.
The 1987 Constitution requires a trial to start forthwith if at least one-thirds of all House members — in this case, 102 out of 306 — have signed and endorsed the petition.
READ: House impeaches VP Sara Duterte, fast-tracking transmittal to Senate
However, trial has yet to start as the Articles of Impeachment were not forwarded to the Senate plenary before session ended on February 5.
This means that Congress would have to reconvene first after the election season, or through a special session to discuss the matter.
There are also conflicting opinions regarding whether it is proper for the current Senate to start the trial when the 2025 midterms elections would surely change the composition in the legislative chamber.
Former Senator Ping Lacson believes though there is no issue if the impeachment trial starts within the 19th Congress and crosses over to the 20th Congress.
This is based on the same principle used by the judiciary — where jurisdiction of a court division does not change despite the resignation or retirement of a sitting justice.
