The House prosecution panel on Wednesday welcomed the Senate’s move to formally convene as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, calling it a significant step toward constitutional accountability.
The spokesperson for the House prosecution team said the Senate’s action showed recognition of its constitutional duty after the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted by the House of Representatives.
“It’s a positive development,” Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said in an interview, noting that earlier debates over the interpretation of the word “forthwith” had previously delayed discussions on the impeachment process.
“Right now, I think the senators are in unison accepting the fact that ‘forthwith’ means immediate,” he said.
The House earlier voted overwhelmingly to impeach Duterte and forward the case to the Senate, paving the way for senators to sit as judges in what is expected to be one of the country’s most politically charged impeachment proceedings in recent years.
Adiong said the Senate’s decision to proceed indicates that the chamber is now carrying out its constitutionally mandated role to hear and decide impeachment cases.
“It’s a good indication that the Senate is now trying to exercise its constitutionally mandated job,” he said.
The House leader also addressed the recent leadership changes in the Senate, saying the prosecution panel respects the chamber’s internal decisions as a co-equal branch of government.
However, he acknowledged public discussions surrounding the perceived neutrality of some senators, particularly in light of political alliances connected to the Duterte camp.
The Mindanaoan lawmaker noted that while some observers viewed former Senate President Tito Sotto III as potentially more neutral, the prosecution remains hopeful that the impeachment court will ultimately be guided by fairness and its own rules.
“We still believe that once we start the trial and once the evidence has been presented by the prosecution, we anticipate that we will be given equal footing,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that the Senate’s impeachment rules specifically require political neutrality and impartiality from senator-judges regardless of political affiliations.
“Despite partisan affiliations among different senators, they have to stay true to the Senate procedures on impeachment,” Adiong said, emphasizing the importance of “impartial justice.”
He admitted that the impeachment proceedings would not be easy, particularly given the political landscape in the Senate, but expressed confidence in the strength of the House prosecution’s documentary evidence.
“We always rely on the evidence and the sets of documents that our prosecution team will provide,” he said.
According to the House prosecution panel spokesperson, the impeachment trial will give both the public and the Senate an opportunity to examine the evidence in the proper constitutional forum.
“As soon as we present the evidence to the people and to the Senate itself acting as an impeachment court, I’m positive for a favorable outcome,” he added.