The Senate Impeachment Court yesterday formally received a 37-page document containing the official comment of the House prosecution team on the answer ad cautelam filed by Vice President Sara Duterte.
Impeachment Court spokesperson Reginald Tongol confirmed that the Senate Secretary, acting as the Clerk of Court, received the copy at 1:38 p.m. on June 27.
“At the onset, it must be pointed out that in the Answer Ad Cautelam, respondent Duterte had made several misleading and false material statements,” the prosecutors said in their comment.
Ad cautelam is a legal term that translates to “with caution” in English.
It is normally used by lawyers in their pleadings for documents or proceedings that may be viewed as unnecessary, but they submitted them anyway as a matter of compliance.
Under Senate rules, prosecutors were given five non-extendible days to respond to Duterte’s filing, wherein she claimed that the chamber no longer has jurisdiction over the case.
The House panel submitted the reply within the deadline.
“This Reply is timely filed,” the prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, the Vice President has formally responded to the Office of the Ombudsman’s order on the cases recommended by the House of Representatives over her alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Her lawyers, Michael Poa and Paul Lim, filed the counter-affidavit at around 1 p.m. Friday, three days before the June 30 deadline.
Congressmen earlier recommended filing charges against Duterte, including technical malversation, plunder, bribery, corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, who chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, was named as the complainant.
Aside from Duterte, other respondents reportedly include OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez, Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio, and Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta.
Also named were former Department of Education officials Sunshine Fajarda, Edward Fajarda, Annalyn Sevilla, and Nolasco Mempin, as well as former Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group commander, Col. Raymund Lachica.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “House prosecution submits reply to VP Sara’s ad cautelam pleading.”
