The House of Representatives on Wednesday deferred acceptance of the Articles of Impeachment remanded by the Senate in the case against Vice President Sara Duterte, shortly after adopting a resolution certifying that the impeachment proceedings initiated in February fully complied with the Constitution.
House Deputy Majority Leader Faustino Dy V moved to defer accepting the remanded articles during the final session day of the 19th Congress.
“Mr. Speaker, I move to defer acceptance of the Articles of Impeachment until such time as the Senate sitting as an impeachment court has responded to the clarificatory queries raised by the panel of prosecutors relative to the remand of the subject articles,” Dy said.
House Deputy Speaker Robbie Puno, presiding over the session, repeated the motion and ruled it approved.
“There is a motion to defer acceptance of the Articles of Impeachment until such time that the Senate sitting as an Impeachment Court responded to the clarificatory queries raised by the panel of prosecutors relative to the remand of the subject articles. Is there any objection? The chair hears none, the motion is carried,” Puno said.
Earlier in the session, the lower chamber adopted House Resolution 2346, certifying that the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Duterte were conducted in accordance with Article XI, Section 3, Paragraph 5 of the 1987 Constitution, including the circumstances surrounding the filing of the first three impeachment complaints.
“Mr. Speaker, I move to direct the Secretary General to issue the certification in accordance with the adopted resolution,” Dy said.
With no objection, Puno ruled: “The chair hears none, the motion is approved.”
The resolution emphasized that the verified impeachment complaint—endorsed by more than a third of House members—was sufficient in form and substance upon filing, formally initiating the proceedings without need for referral to the Committee on Justice.
“The House of Representatives affirms that the initiation of the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President on February 5, 2025, was conducted in full compliance with the Constitution, the Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings of the House of Representatives, and applicable jurisprudence,” the resolution read.
It also addressed lingering questions over the sequence and timing of multiple complaints filed against the Vice President, affirming that all were filed following constitutional and legal requirements.
On February 5, the House formally initiated impeachment proceedings against Duterte after 215 lawmakers signed and endorsed a verified complaint.
The complaint cited, among others, allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and misuse of confidential and intelligence funds during her concurrent tenure as Education Secretary in 2022 and 2023.
The endorsement by more than one-third of House members rendered the complaint automatically deemed sufficient in form and substance, triggering formal impeachment proceedings under the Constitution without the need for committee referral.
The certification forms part of the House’s formal response to the Senate, which had earlier raised procedural concerns about the initiation of the impeachment process.
