The House of Representatives said it expects Vice President Sara Duterte to submit a detailed answer to the impeachment charges against her, not a motion seeking to delay or dismiss the case before the Senate impeachment court.
Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega made the statement as the 10-calendar-day, non-extendible period given to Duterte to answer the charges nears its June 1 deadline.
“We are hoping to receive an answer, not a motion to dismiss,” Ortega said.
Once Duterte files her answer, the House prosecution panel will have five calendar days, also non-extendible, to submit its comment before the impeachment court.
Ortega warned that any motion to dismiss, or any pleading asking the Senate impeachment court to wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling on pending impeachment-related issues, would only amount to a delaying move by the Vice President’s defense team.
“It will just be a waste of time. We do not think the Senate impeachment court, which has so far acted forthwith on the impeachment case, will allow it,” he said.
The House leader also urged Duterte to fulfill her earlier commitment to answer the allegations during her Senate trial, saying the proceedings now give her the proper forum to respond directly to the charges.
“She consistently refused to show up in the House impeachment proceedings. She waited for more than a year since last year’s impeachment process for her trial to take place and to present her answer. She should seize this opportunity so the people can finally hear from her,” Ortega said.
The impeachment complaint against Duterte includes allegations of unexplained wealth, failure to fully declare assets in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, and assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
She is also accused of graft, corruption, alleged bribery involving Department of Education officials, and misuse of public funds.
House prosecutors have maintained that they have strong evidence to support the charges, including an Anti-Money Laundering Council report covering financial transactions involving Duterte and her husband from the time she served as Davao City vice mayor up to 2024.
According to the House prosecution side, Duterte’s declared net worth increased from P7.25 million in 2007, when she was Davao City vice mayor, to P88.5 million in 2024 as Vice President.
Ortega said the Senate trial should proceed without unnecessary delay, stressing that the public deserves a full airing of the allegations and Duterte’s formal response before the impeachment court.