House explains to SC: 4th impeach rap adopted, first 3 became moot

House spokesperson Princess Abante —Atty. Princess Abante/Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives asserted that it had followed the Constitution in impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte by including the first three complaints against her in the chamber’s order of business but that these were rendered moot after the fourth gained support from more than one-third of its members.

House spokesperson Princess Abante said in a statement on Saturday that this was one of its responses in compliance with the Supreme Court’s July 8 order to submit information about the Vice President’s impeachment after the tribunal consolidated two petitions questioning the constitutionality of her impeachment, including one that she filed.

The Vice President is accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes, particularly her alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds.

READ: Senators split on date of convening impeachment court for Sara Duterte

She also allegedly plotted to have President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated if an alleged plot to kill her succeeds.

Complaints 1 to 3

One of a number of things the Supreme Court wanted to know was the status of the first three complaints filed by private citizens.

“All three initial complaints were included in the Order of Business within the ten-session-day period required by the Constitution,” Abante said.

“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,” she said.

The first complaint was filed by civil society organizations and endorsed by Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña on Dec. 2, 2024.

The second was filed by progressive groups on Dec. 4, 2024. It was endorsed by the Makabayan bloc, which was then composed of ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel.

The third was filed by religious groups, lawyers and nongovernment organizations on Dec. 19, 2024. It was endorsed by Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. and AAMBIS-OWA Rep. Lex Anthony Cris Colada.

‘Full compliance’

The fourth was endorsed by 215 House members on Feb. 5. For gaining support from more than one-third of the 306 House members then, it was immediately transmitted to the Senate later that same day as the approved Articles of Impeachment in accordance with a requirement by the 1987 Constitution.

“The House stands by its position that all four impeachment complaints were handled in full compliance with the Constitution,” Abante said.

The Supreme Court directive also sought clarification on whether the House secretary general had the discretion on when to transmit endorsed impeachment complaints to the Speaker.

No requirement

“In the Compliance, the House also emphasized that, with the utmost respect for the Supreme Court, it was asserting its exclusive authority over its internal deliberative functions, an authority grounded on the fundamental principle of separation of powers and the legislature’s status as a coequal branch of government,” Abante explained.

In response to the high court’s question on whether House members had time to go over the charges and the evidence before endorsing the fourth complaint, Abante said the Constitution did not specify how that should be done.

“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.

On the question of whether Duterte was given the chance to be heard on the evidence supposedly shared with House members, the House told the court that would come later.

“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,” Abante said.

She said that the House was fully committed to “transparency, constitutional fidelity, and upholding the rule of law.”

“We trust that the Supreme Court will accord the same deference to the prerogatives of a coequal branch of government as enshrined in our democratic framework,” Abante added.

The Senate initially convened as an impeachment court on June 10 but sent the articles of impeachment back to the House, seeking certifications that the complaint did not violate the Constitution’s bar against multiple impeachments within a year against the same impeachable official, and that the 20th Congress would still pursue the process.

Informal talks

Sen. Joel Villanueva said there had been informal talks between some senators and Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero to start the trial on Aug. 4 so that the chamber would have prior time for “housekeeping” matters before the opening of the 20th Congress.

Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said they wanted the impeachment trial to start “at the earliest possible time,” since it had already been delayed for five months.

The first session of the 20th Congress will be opened on July 28 with Mr. Marcos’ fourth State of the Nation Address. /cb