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The House prosecution panel isn’t backing down from its call for Vice President Sara Duterte to formally respond to the impeachment complaint against her. On Tuesday, lawmakers insisted their motion to the Senate was fully in line with both the Constitution and the Senate’s own impeachment rules.

‘Legally Sound’ Move

1RIDER Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, a member of the prosecution panel, said the House team was confident in their position.

“The Constitution clearly states that an impeachment trial in the Senate must proceed ‘forthwith.’ That’s why we believe our motion is legally sound,” Gutierrez explained.

However, he acknowledged that the Senate, led by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, could take a different approach. Escudero has already referred the motion to the Senate’s legal team for review.

“We understand that the Senate President may have a different opinion, and we respect their process,” Gutierrez added. “But we remain confident in our legal stance.”

House Prosecutors Are Ready

House Minority Leader and lead prosecutor Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan emphasized that the impeachment case should move forward without delay. The panel had already filed a motion asking the Senate to issue a summons to VP Duterte, requiring her to respond to the Articles of Impeachment that were sent to the Senate on February 5.

“We submitted a motion for entry along with a motion to issue summons,” Libanan said. “This is about the House’s impeachment complaint against VP Duterte, which was signed on March 14. We didn’t file it right away because we thought the Senate was on break.”

But after seeing that the Senate still conducted hearings during its recess, the House prosecutors decided to push forward.

“They held a hearing last Thursday under Senator Imee Marcos’ committee, which means the Senate is still working,” Libanan pointed out.

Impeachment Process Shouldn’t Stall

Libanan stressed that even though some lawmakers are busy with the election campaign, the impeachment process must continue.
“The House is ready. Even though this is campaign season, we will fulfill our duty as prosecutors,” he said.

According to Senate impeachment rules, Libanan argued, the process should begin “forthwith”—without delay.

“That means immediately, right away,” he emphasized. “No matter what else is happening, this is an important matter, and the impeachment proceedings need to move forward.”

The House prosecution panel believes issuing a summons to VP Duterte is a crucial step.

“That’s why we filed the motion—to summon the Vice President and require her to answer the charges,” Libanan said. “Under Senate rules, she has 10 days from receipt of the summons to respond.”