House prosecutors ready for impeachment trial under any Senate leadership — Ridon

House Impeachment Prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon today assured that "the House Prosecution Panel is ready to proceed to trial in July under any Senate leadership and under any Presiding Officer of the Senate Impeachment Court."

Ridon issued the statement after the Senate resumed session this afternoon.

"The prosecution remains focused on the evidence, the Constitutional process, and the timely resolution of the impeachment trial," Ridon said.

"We look forward to the trial proceeding in accordance with the previously announced timelines," he added.

Ridon also said the House Prosecution Panel will discuss whether they will file a reply to Vice President Sara Duterte's answer to the writ of summons.

On Wednesday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore after the Senate reconvened, paving the way for the minority bloc-led senators in attendance to declare him the acting Senate President.

Gatchalian was installed Wednesday after the upper chamber reached a quorum following the appearance of Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero. As the new Senate President Pro Tempore, Gatchalian replaced Senator Loren Legarda.

Escudero was the only majority bloc member who attended the plenary session, breaking the two consecutive days the Senate did not hold session due to the majority bloc's continued absence.

Vice President Sara Duterte, through her legal team, formally filed on Monday her answer to the Articles of Impeachment filed against her.

In their pleadings, Duterte's legal team submitted that the Articles of Impeachment are "constitutionally infirm, procedurally defective, and substantively deficient". They also sought the dismissal of the impeachment case against the Vice President.

Duterte's team also denied the accusations and said the "mini-trial" of the House of Representatives "exceeded the constitutional limits of its authority."

"Ultimately, none of the allegations sufficiently establish the constitutional standards for culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, high crimes, or betrayal of public trust," the answer reads.

"Rather than presenting clear, credible, and legally sufficient proof of impeachable conduct, the Articles rely on erroneous conclusions, speculation, political rhetoric, and materials gathered through an unauthorized evidentiary fishing expedition conducted beyond the constitutional role of the House of Representatives," it added. — BAP, GMA News