VICE President Sara Duterte’s legal team is now directing its attention to the House of Representatives’ appeal after the Senate voted to archive her impeachment case.
In a statement released Wednesday night, August 6, lawyer Michael Poa, spokesperson for the Vice President’s defense team, acknowledged the Senate’s decision to follow the Supreme Court ruling and move the impeachment complaint to the archives.
“The Defense Team acknowledges the Senate’s decision to adhere to the Supreme Court ruling and archive the Articles of Impeachment,” Poa said. “Our focus now remains on submitting our Comment, in compliance with the High Court’s Order.”
This comes after the Senate voted 19-4-1 in favor of Senator Rodante Marcoleta’s motion to archive the Articles of Impeachment, even as some lawmakers argued for deferring action until the Supreme Court rules on a pending Motion for Reconsideration filed by the House.
The House of Representatives is seeking to overturn the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling that declared Duterte’s impeachment unconstitutional, citing the one-year prohibition on initiating impeachment proceedings more than once against the same official.
The Supreme Court’s decision, which was issued on July 25, stated that the ruling is “immediately executory” and effectively removed the Senate’s authority to act as an impeachment court in this case.
The House impeached Duterte on February 5, transmitting seven Articles of Impeachment to the Senate on the same day.
However, the Senate initially refrained from taking action until the session resumed in June, at which point the Articles were returned to the House.
Despite the case being archived, the Vice President’s defense team emphasized that their priority remains fulfilling the Supreme Court’s directive to respond to the House’s appeal within 10 days.