House prosecutors ask Senate to summon VP over impeachment raps

CONGRESSMEN who will serve as prosecutors in Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial on Tuesday asked the Senate to compel her to comment on her ouster complaint.

In a motion, the lawmakers also urged the Senate to summon Ms. Duterte to inform her of the charges against her, which could jumpstart the stalled impeachment process. The congressmen want her to answer in 10 days, according to a copy sent to reporters.

“The move… is a critical step to compel the Vice-President to respond to the articles of impeachment and to avoid unnecessary delays in the conduct of the impeachment trial,” the House of Representatives prosecution panel said in a statement.

The House impeached the Vice-President on Feb. 5, alleging secret fund misuse, unexplained wealth, acts of destabilization and plotting the assassination of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and his family. Ms. Duterte has denied any wrongdoing.

The impeachment complaint was filed and signed by more than 200 congressmen, more than the one-third legal requirement before it could be sent to the Senate.

House of Representatives Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Marcelino C. Libanan, who has been appointed lead prosecutor, said they filed the motion more than a month after Ms. Duterte’s impeachment since they thought the Senate had halted all legislative work to give way for the May midterm elections.

“We didn’t file it immediately because we thought it was their break,” he said in a separate statement in Filipino.

Mr. Libanan said senators should start Ms. Duterte’s impeachment trial immediately despite being on a legislative break since they are still holding congressional hearings.

“The premise is that they’re on a break because it’s the campaign period,” he said. “But what we see is that the Senate is still able to hold hearings. So, if they can do this, then let’s follow the Constitution,” he told a news briefing in Filipino.

The Senate has yet to convene as an impeachment court since Senate President Francis G. Escudero insists they could not do so while Congress is on recess. Senators plan to present the articles of impeachment and approve the revised impeachment rules once it reconvenes for a two-week session in June.

Congress has been on a four-month break since February for the midterm elections. Filipinos will pick a new set of congressmen, 12 of the 24-member Senate and other local government officials on May 12.

“We are not pressuring [the senators],” Mr. Libanan said. “We are doing our job. We also want to campaign, but we would be guilty of a culpable violation of the Constitution if we fail to fulfill our duty.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Escudero said he would ask the Senate legal team to discuss the House motion.

“I have not seen it yet,” he told reporters in a Viber message. “I will refer it to the Senate legal team and discuss with them tomorrow. We will act on this accordingly and in due course.”

Based on the proposed impeachment trial schedule, the prosecution’s presentation and the approval of updated impeachment trial rules were set for June 2. The Senate is expected to convene as an impeachment court the day after. The issuance of summonses was set for June 4.

The proposed start of the trial was scheduled for July 30, once newly elected senators take their oath as impeachment judges on July 29.

Mr. Escudero earlier said the impeachment trial would likely be concluded before the October recess. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio and Adrian H. Halili