House submits addt'l info on VP Sara impeachment to SC

The House of Representatives has submitted additional information on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte to the Supreme Court, House spokesperson Atty. Princess Abante said in a statement released on Saturday. 

“The House of Representatives, through its counsel, the Office of the Solicitor General, filed Friday its compliance to the Supreme Court’s directive to provide information on the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte,” Abante said.

Abante added that the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), serving as the House’s legal counsel, has electronically filed the required compliance through the Philippine Judiciary Portal and served all parties.

Further, a physical copy is set to be formally submitted to the high tribunal on Monday.

The SC previously required the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives to comment and submit information regarding the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

That's after the SC En Banc consolidated the petition filed by Duterte against the validity and constitutionality of the fourth impeachment complaint against her and the petition filed by lawyer Israelito Torreon and others seeking to declare the articles of impeachment null and void.

The High Court required the House to submit information regarding the status of the first three impeachment complaints filed against Duterte, the exact dates these were endorsed, and whether the secretary general possesses discretion on when to transmit these to the speaker of the House of Representatives.

Aside from this, the Court also asked the House to provide the basis and authority of the secretary general to refuse the transmittal of the complaints.

The House maintained that all four impeachment complaints were processed in "full accordance with constitutional mandates."

Due process

The House spokesperson said the three initial impeachment complaints were included in the Order of Business within the 10-session-day period prescribed by the Constitution.

“The fourth complaint, signed and verified by more than one-third of House Members, effectively constituted the Articles of Impeachment and was transmitted directly to the Senate, rendering the earlier complaints moot and subject to archiving,” Abante said.

The Articles of Impeachment was endorsed by 215 House members and approved by the plenary last February, accusing Duterte of graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, among other crimes.

It was the fourth impeachment complaint that was endorsed by over one-third of lawmakers from the House of Representatives and was later transmitted to the Senate.

“We reiterate that the Vice President’s right to due process is fully preserved through the impeachment trial itself—where she will have the opportunity to defend herself and present evidence,” she said.

The lower chamber’s filing, Abante said, demonstrates its exclusive authority over internal deliberative matters, based on the principle of separation of powers and the legislature’s status as a co-equal branch of government.

“There is no constitutional requirement detailing how individual members must review the complaint before signing, nor is there any basis for questioning their certification under oath that they studied and understood the charges and supporting documents,” she said.

The Senate, meanwhile, earlier said it has already filed a Manifestation Ad Cautelam to the Supreme Court. —VAL, GMA Integrated News