MANILA — The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte must proceed under the 20th Congress and is not subject to the Senate’s discretion, a House prosecutor said Friday, asserting that the upper chamber is constitutionally mandated to hear and decide the case.
“No, it is not optional,” said Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, one of the House prosecutors, in an interview with one media source. “Once filed, my understanding is that the Senate is obligated to conduct the trial.”
Flores pushed back against suggestions by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero that the impeachment complaint could be dismissed without trial.
He emphasized that the Constitution explicitly requires the Senate to serve as the impeachment court once the House has transmitted the articles of impeachment.
“‘Yun naman ang nakasabi sa Constitution — to hear and decide,” Flores said. “If the Senate just follows the Constitution, there will be a trial.”
The lawmaker said the trial is expected to begin around July 28 or 29, after the State of the Nation Address (SONA), when the 20th Congress is formally organized.
He explained that the impeachment court’s second directive—asking the 20th Congress to certify its intention to proceed with the case—cannot be fulfilled until the new Senate leadership is in place.
Earlier this week, impeachment court official Regie Tongol said Escudero, as the presiding officer, is unlikely to convene the trial before the new Senate leadership is settled to avoid any questions on the court’s authority.
But Sen. Risa Hontiveros pushed back on Tongol’s pronouncements, saying they do not reflect the Senate’s collective stance.
“With all due respect, he does not reflect the voice of the Senate,” Hontiveros said in a statement Friday. “He represents only the Presiding Officer’s position — not mine, as one of the Senator-Judges.”
Hontiveros added that she does not share the view that the impeachment court cannot convene until after the 20th Congress is organized.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers in the House have expressed readiness to comply with the impeachment court’s second order, signaling support for the continuation of the process against Duterte.
The impeachment complaint accuses the vice president of unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets — charges her camp has strongly denied.