The House prosecution panel said it will recognize only the notices and orders issued under the leadership of Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian in connection with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The 11-member panel said the position is consistent with the stand of the House of Representatives on the current Senate leadership arrangement, amid a continuing standoff between rival blocs claiming authority over the upper chamber and its committees.
Lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said the prosecution team, as part of the House’s institutional mandate, will follow the leadership recognized by the chamber in the conduct of impeachment proceedings.
“In other words, if the position of the House of Representatives is in favor of the legitimacy of the leadership of acting Senate President Win Gatchalian then it follows na doon din po kami susunod in as far as notices and orders are concerned. At doon din po kami mag-aappear sa notices of proceedings na ilalabas nila,” Luistro said.
She acknowledged that conflicting notices from the competing Senate factions could create procedural complications and possibly delay the trial. However, she expressed optimism that the timeline earlier released by the Senate would still be followed, including the June 15 deadline for pre-trial briefs, the June 18 pre-trial conference, and the July 6 start of trial.
“That may cause delay kung sakali na may dalawang notices, but I am positive na susundin pa rin yung timeline,” she added.
She said the panel is taking guidance from Gatchalian’s pronouncement that he is inclined to follow the same schedule previously agreed upon by senator-judges.
“At dahil sa pronouncement na ’yan, ni Acting SP Win, kami naman po ay nananalig na walang mababago sa mga petsang napapaloob doon,” she added.
Prosecutor Chel Diokno said the Senate’s internal leadership issue should be resolved within the chamber, but stressed that institutional alignment between the House and Senate is important for the impeachment process to move forward.
“At the same time as the Chair said, as an institution we have to respect the resolutions that came when we adjourned sine die so ‘yun ang susundan po namin at siguro abangan na lang ninyo yung mga susunod na mangyayari sa Senado,” Diokno said.
House trial spokesperson Renee Co said the public is closely watching the impeachment process and could be disappointed if the schedule already released is not followed.
“Sa bahagi ng mamamayan, na-release na ang schedule at mabibigo na naman sila kung hindi masusunod,” she said.
“So nasa interes din ng proseso ng pananagutan kung anumang nalatag na ng mga petsa at may commitment naman ng both Houses and may commitment right now from the prosecution panel na susundin natin siya kailangan na natin ituloy tuloy ito,” she added.
Luistro said official notices are crucial for the proper conduct of the proceedings, adding that the impeachment court must clarify the administrative arrangements, including the designation of the clerk of court.
“We need the impeachment court because all the guidelines, including the notices, will be coming from the impeachment court through their designated clerk of court,” she said.
She warned that the impeachment court cannot function with two presiding officers or two clerks of court, saying the Constitution does not contemplate a dual leadership setup in the Senate.
“The Constitution does not provide for interim administration ‘no, ang hirap din i-conceive na dalawa ang Senate president, dalawa ang Senate secretaries, dalawa ang clerk of court,” the Batangas solon noted.
“There has to be one only because that’s what the Constitution provides ‘no and with respect to the 11 prosecutors, we have manifested already our position kung na saan ang House nandoon kami, kung ang rinerecognize ng House ay ang leadership ni Acting SP Win, then we are recognizing the same leadership,” she added.
The prosecution panel earlier submitted a manifestation before the Senate impeachment court in response to Duterte’s answer to the Articles of Impeachment. The Senate received the filing at 11:15 am Monday.
The panel opted not to file a formal reply, saying Duterte’s answer contained only general denials and raised no new factual matters requiring a response.