The House of Representatives has already fulfilled its Constitutional mandate in the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte, and the ball is now in the court of the Senate to determine the next steps, Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday said.
“The impeachment complaint is now with the Senate, so we leave it to their sound discretion as to how they want to proceed and conduct,” Romualdez said in an interview.
Senate President Francis Escudero yesterday said the impeachment trial will be up to the 20th Congress, and that the current Senate could only go as far as issue summons.
He acknowledged the possibility that the Senate may not even convene as an impeachment court, but added he doubts that will happen.
Former senator and incoming Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said further delays in the impeachment trial violates the Constitutional mandate for its immediate start.
“That is clearly violative of what the Constitution says — forthwith is forthwith. And it has been delayed a few times already. How many times has it been postponed?” De Lima said.
De Lima noted that the 1987 Constitution states that if a verified impeachment complaint is filed by at least one-third of all the members of the House of Representatives, “trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.”
“Let us not fool ourselves. This is no longer about legal preparedness. This is about political will. We are seeing the early signs of dribbling. Delay tactics designed to tire the public, to ease the momentum, to save those in power.”
“When powerful figures are accused of grave abuse, silence is complicity. Delay is betrayal. To the Senate: You are not gatekeepers of convenience. You are stewards of the Constitution. The responsibility now rests on your shoulders. You must rise to meet it. Let the trial begin,” De Lima added.
Escudero earlier moved the presentation of the articles of impeachment before the Senate plenary from June 2 to June 11.
Romualdez acknowledged the Senate has laid out its own legislative agenda, including final action on the priority bills identified under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), that must be addressed before the impeachment trial.
“The Senate President outlined the priority measures like the LEDAC measures that they would like to prioritize first. So, we have to respect the decision of the Senate President and the Senate,” he said.
“Everything is speculative at this point (on the fate of the impeachment trial). But we hope things resolve themselves positively for all,” Romualdez added.
Meanwhile, a militant lawmaker criticized Senator Imee Marcos for prematurely declaring the failure of the impeachment bid against the Vice President.
House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro emphasized the importance of accountability and justice amid allegations of misuse of public funds against Duterte.
“This is the problem with people like Senator Marcos and VP Duterte who are not used to being held accountable for their wrongdoings against the nation. They think it is acceptable to steal billions for as long as they spread fake news and disinformation to deceive the people.”
“The impeachment process must be initiated properly, and VP Duterte must be held accountable. If not, she will just do it again, and even greater amounts of public funds will be lost. Other politicians will also follow her lead.”
“Declaring that the impeachment is already dead is clearly a tactic to propagate impunity. This kind of mindset should not be tolerated in government,” Castro added.
De Lima also belied Duterte’s earlier statement that the impeachment is her “crucifixion.”
“It is only a crucifixion if there is no basis. But the evidence is clear and strong as we have seen during the Quad Committee hearings,” she said.
“There is no persecution, no crucifixion, if there is a real case. These pieces of evidence were not fabricated. What is important is for her to explain the evidence against her,” De Lima added.
