San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Zamora, a member of the House prosecution team, said on Monday their group is studying the possible implications should it comply with the Senate impeachment court’s second requirement as the 20th Congress officially started.
Zamora was referring to the June 11 order of the impeachment court, requiring the prosecution to submit a resolution approved by the lower chamber of the 20th Congress ratifying the acts of the House of Representatives under the 19th Congress and “affirming its determination to pursue and prosecute” the verified impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Some have said that should the 20th Congress issue [the certification]), it will make it appear that it’s an impeachment case filed in a different Congress and, therefore, it violates the one-year ban… We are discussing it,” she explained.
But the House prosecution panel maintained its position that even without these certifications, the impeachment proceedings may proceed “because these are not required under the Constitution or even the Senate impeachment rules.”
For their part, party-list representatives Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers), JC Abalos (4Ps), and Eli San Fernando (Kamanggagawa) said they are ready to support a resolution stating that the House shall continue with its role in the impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
“We see this actually as a delaying tactic unfortunately done by the Senate Impeachment Court. And we expect that the Congress will be consistent with its position in the past… the impeachment trial should begin immediately. So, definitely, we will vote ‘yes’ if ever on this issue,” Tinio said.
