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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
June 18, 2025 | 5:42pm
Senators vote to return the articles of impeachment versus Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives on June 10, 2025.
Joseph Vidal / OSP
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court has been “productive” despite allegations that senator-judges are stalling proceedings to benefit Vice President Sara Duterte.
Remarks of Regie Tongol, spokesperson of the Senate as an impeachment court, came after the House prosecution panel accused the upper chamber of delaying the trial by returning the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives.
After all, for Tongol, the Senate has already convened as a court.
“This means that the impeachment proceeding is already continuing. We also issued the summons to the Vice President as the respondent. And also we issued orders for compliance for the House of Representatives,” Tongol said in a press conference.
He added that the Senate has received formal notice that the law firm Fortun Narvasa & Salazar will represent Duterte in the proceedings.
“There is no foot dragging that has been happening,” Tongol said.
Turning the tables
Tongol questioned why the House has yet to respond to the impeachment court’s order, saying it was the first time he saw litigants question the court.
He also criticized the public commentary from the prosecution panel, particularly that of spokesperson Antonio Bucoy earlier this week.
While House prosecutors have expressed their intent to seek clarification on the Senate’s decision to remand the articles, they have yet to formally do so.
“There is no such motion for clarification filed after [seven] days had passed since their presscon,” Tongol told Philstar.com in a message.
He also raised concerns about the delay, asking why it was taking the House panel so long to file the request.
Constitutionality questioned. Several legal experts have called the Senate’s decision to return the impeachment complaint “illegal,” while others described it as irregular but not necessarily unconstitutional.
The House prosecution panel has publicly stated that it is hesitant to comply with the order, believing it could be unconstitutional.
Vice President Duterte faces charges of corruption involving P125 million in confidential funds allegedly spent in just 11 days.
