The House of Representatives yesterday formally served the Office of the Vice President (OVP) the Entry with Motion to Issue Summons, officially notifying Vice President Sara Duterte of the impeachment proceedings initiated against her.
The motion was received by the Senate on March 24, and a copy was furnished to the Vice President by House Secretariat Staff at her office address on the 11th Floor of Robinsons Cybergate Plaza, Mandaluyong City.
The OVP received the documents at 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco’s office disclosed.
Meanwhile, the House prosecution team is ramping up preparations for the impending impeachment trial, meeting in small groups to focus on the assigned Articles of Impeachment.
House prosecutor Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro said preparations for the trial are nearly done.
“Those assigned to Article 1 are in one group, those working on Article 2 are in another… so forth and so on. In other words, we seldom or rarely meet as a team. Instead, we met by the article team. And since I am assigned to Article 2 in the confidential funds, I work with the rest of the “congs” [lawmakers] who are assigned to confidential funds as well,” she said in a mixture of Filipino and English.
As this developed, House prosecutors failed in their bid to convince Senate President and Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero to issue a writ of summons to Duterte, which would have constrained her to respond to the Verified Complaint for Impeachment within ten days from receipt.
On Wednesday, Escudero said that strict adherence to legal procedures outweighs any push for untested methods, as he dismissed the House prosecutors’ attempt to summon the Vice President for impeachment proceedings.
“It cannot legally be done. It’s not allowed because the Senate is not in session. And that ‘forthwith,’ aren’t they tired of that already?” he said.
“Forthwith was defined by US authorities to mean a reasonable time, not immediately,” the Senate chief added.
Escudero maintained that Senate rules only allow a writ of summons once the chamber is officially in session, drawing a line between impeachment trials and regular legislative inquiries.
Earlier, Rep. Marcelino Libanan of the 4Ps Party-List argued that since the Senate held an inquiry into the possible arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte during its break, prosecutors believed impeachment hearings could also proceed.
However, Escudero disagreed, stating that while the House can hold hearings during recess, the Senate’s impeachment process demands more stringent protocols.
He said the Senate would formally address the motion when the session resumes, suggesting prosecutors were already aware of the procedural limits.