MANILA, Philippines – According to Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua, the prosecution panel from the House of Representatives plans to request the Senate to move forward with the preliminary trial processes for the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte when they reconvene next week.
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On Monday, Manila’s third district representative, Joel Chua, revealed that members of the lower house serving as prosecutors intend to petition senators overseeing VP Sara Duterte’s removal proceedings to begin formal hearings once sessions resume.
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During a telephone conversation with members of the House press corps, Chua faced questions regarding the ongoing postponement of Duterte’s impeachment proceedings, as the Senate—functioning as an impeachment tribunal—awaits a follow-up confirmation from the House indicating whether representatives of the 20th Congress remain committed to pursuing the matter.
Chua explained that even though the certification process has not yet been completed, the Senate can start conducting preliminary trial procedures. These steps would form part of a formal request that he and the entire legal team for the prosecution might submit.
“We will examine what our next move should be,” Chua stated. “But at least something positive came out as several procedures were observed—for instance, submitting their response and us filing ours too. Perhaps within this week we'll decide which motion needs to be filed before the impeachment tribunal.”
"For the meantime, our plan is to submit a request for permission to move forward with the preliminary hearing," he continued.
Chua stated that the exact nature of the motion is still under review when questioned about how the House prosecutors plan to encourage response from the Senate’s impeachment tribunal.
The legislator likewise highlighted that the pre-trial phase plays a vital role as it involves labeling pieces of evidence and identifying listed witnesses.
"We're still looking into it. [...] Of course, we'll aim to submit a motion. Now, as to the specific type of motion—our team is evaluating our options—one potential move could be filing a request to advance to the pre-trial phase," he mentioned.
That’s when we label and identify all pieces of evidence. During the pre-trial stage, we usually list down what proof will come up at the actual court proceedings [...] like which people will speak as witnesses and why they’re being called upon," he explained further. "The idea behind this process? To make sure nothing catches anyone off guard once things go into official session.
Vice President Duterte faced impeachment on February 5 when 215 members of Congress submitted and endorsed the fourth impeachment charge lodged against her. The charges include accusations of misusing classified funds, issuing threats toward senior government officials, and various constitutional breaches.
The impeachment charges were promptly sent to the Senate on the very same day. According to the 1987 Constitution, a trial is required to commence once at least one-third of the total number of House representatives — which amounts to 102 out of 306 in this instance — support the accusation.
Nevertheless, the Senate subsequently sent back the impeachment charges to the House, pointing out potential constitutional issues.
Several key concerns emerged, with two primary matters being highlighted:
- Whether the constitutional restriction on conducting only one impeachment process against an official within a single year was breached
- Whether the present Congress (the 20th) holds authority to continue handling a case originally filed by the 19th Congress
The House has met the initial condition already.
READ: House prosecutors forward certification of Sara Duterte impeachment complaint
Lawmakers noted, however, that the second condition has not yet been met since the members of the 20th Congress are set to meet for the first time on July 29, when the initial regular session begins—just shortly before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fourth annual address to the nation.
The impeachment proceedings have encountered multiple postponements as well. At first, former Senate President Francis Escudero extended an invitation to the House prosecution panel to present the charges before the Senate plenary on June 2, coinciding with the resumption of Congress' sessions. However, this date was subsequently shifted to June 11, which marked the final session day of the 19th Congress.
READ:
Impeachment charges against Sara Duterte set for presentation on June 11
or
Hearing on impeachment complaints versus Sara Duterte rescheduled to June 11
or
Proceedings for presenting impeachment motions against Sara Duterte pushed back to June 11
or
Date reset for filing impeachment cases vs. Vice President Sara Duterte now set at June 11
or
Submission of impeachment papers targeting Sara Duterte shifted to June 10-11 window
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Despite reports that efforts were underway to draft motions for dismissal, the Senate assembled as an impeachment tribunal on June 10. Nevertheless, it opted later that same day to send the charges back to the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, Duterte's team contends that the impeachment is invalid right from the start, claiming it breaches the Constitution's provision of allowing only one impeachment per year.
READ: Duterte tells impeachment court: 'Charges against me were baseless right from the start'
Lawmakers and House prosecution representative Antonio Bucoy, however, emphasized that the one-year time limit only starts when a complaint is forwarded to the House Committee on Justice—which was never done in Duterte's case.