SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said the Senate’s decision to return the impeachment complaint against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio to the House of Representatives is “deeply concerning.”
“I rise not in defiance but with resolve, guided by duty, grounded in principle,” he said in a closing speech at the House plenary on Wednesday night. “The decision of the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, to return the articles of impeachment is deeply concerning.”
“The House of Representatives acted not out of haste, but with deliberate care. We followed the law, we honored our mandated and above all, we stood for what the Filipino people deserve,” he added.
Senators on Tuesday night voted to return the impeachment complaint back to the House to clarify its constitutionality, asking the lower chamber to certify that they lawfully crafted the ouster charges against Ms. Duterte, who was impeached without a hearing.
A likely contender to be the next president, Ms. Duterte, 47, was impeached in February by the House of Representatives.
She denies all the accusations, from budget anomalies to amassing unusual wealth and threatening the lives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., his wife and the Speaker.
Mr. Romualdez said it is the House’s duty to “uphold transparency, and to demand accountability without fear, without favor.” He added that they followed the law when impeaching the Vice-President.
More than 200 congressmen signed the impeachment complaint against the Vice-President.
Ms. Duterte’s impeachment is the culmination of a months-long feud with Mr. Marcos, following their falling out after his allies in the House launched an inquiry into her use of confidential and intelligence funds.
Presidents in the Philippines are limited to a single six-year term, and Mr. Marcos is expected to seek to maintain his political influence by anointing a successor.
The Speaker said the House would comply with the order of the impeachment court to ensure the process continues.
The House floor earlier adopted a resolution certifying that impeachment proceedings against Ms. Duterte “respectfully complied” with the Constitution, ahead of Mr. Romualdez’s speech.
House Resolution No. 2346 affirmed that the chamber adhered to procedural rules in the impeachment process when it voted to indict Ms. Duterte, according to a copy sent to reporters.
Congressmen also agreed via voice vote not to accept the Senate’s return of the impeachment complaint, as congressmen-prosecutors seek clarification on the Senate decision.
On Wednesday, Senate President Francis G. Escudero said the House has a duty to respond to the Senate’s questions.
“It is out of place for the House to not follow the impeachment court’s order,” he told reporters, noting that issues in the trial are unlike disagreeing provisions of Senate and House bills that could be ironed out in a bicameral conference committee.
“This is an order from the impeachment court that focuses on the prosecutor who is only a party to the case. The party and the court are not equal,” he added.
He said the impeachment court had given Ms. Duterte 10 days to respond, while the House will have five days to file its answer. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio