House Insists Separation of Powers amid VP Sara Duterte Impeachment Issue
SARA DUTERTE – The House of Representatives declined to answer three (3) questions from the Supreme Court over the impeachment raps against the Vice President.
Four (4) impeachment complaints were filed against Vice Pres. Duterte. It was the 4th or the last impeachment rap that was transmitted by the House of Representatives to the Senate. The Vice President was impeached by the lower chamber after more than 2/3 of the House members approved her impeachment.
Recently, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero maintained that the Senate impeachment court will not rush the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte amid the calls to start the trial. He also refused to inhibit from the trial amid the calls for him to do so as he was accused of being allegedly biased.
Escudero claimed that August 4 is the tentative date for the start of the impeachment trial as the parties involved need to be notified first and given time to prepare. His statement came amid the doubts if there will really be a trial after the Senate moved to return the Articles of Impeachment to the House.
The Senate impeachment court remanded Duterte’s impeachment along with questions including the queries over the constitutionality of the impeachment. While some people believes that the Senate is allegedly delaying the trial, Escudero stressed that it is an opportunity for the prosecution team to address the questions before the impeachment court decides.
The Office of the Vice President hopes that the Supreme Court will dismiss the impeachment case against Duterte. According to OVP spokesperson Atty. Ruth Castelo, the PH government will allegedly be able to save millions of money if Duterte’s impeachment case will be dismissed.
Meanwhile, the OVP Spox asserted that the Vice President is ready in case the trial pushes through. Recently, amid the queries of the Supreme Court, the House of Representatives asserted the separation of powers.
Based on a report on Inquirer, the House refused to answer three (3) of the questions of the Supreme Court over the impeachment raps against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. It stressed the separation of powers.
“This restraint on the part of Respondent House is grounded on no less than the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution. Being a co-equal branch, the Congress is entitled to respect with regard to those matters which are within its exclusive jurisdiction,” the House said in its compliance to the SC.
Based on the report, the House of Representatives refused to answer which office or committee prepared the draft of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte when it was done. The lower chamber also refused to respond to when the Articles of Impeachment were circulated to the House members.
Furthermore, the House of Representatives also did not address the question if the Articles of Impeachment was accompanied by evidence for each of the articles charged. In the impeachment of the Vice President, she’s accused of allegedly violating the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, and betrayal of public trust.
Ahead of the opening of the 20th Congress, several senators have aired their side on the impeachment case against the Vice President. According to Sen. Raffy Tulfo, he will vote against the motion to dismiss the impeachment case of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.