Senate chooses not to comment on VP lawsuit against her impeachment
THE PHILIPPINE Senate on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to excuse it from commenting on by Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio’s lawsuit seeking to stop her trial and void her impeachment by the House of Representatives.
“Respondent Senate, which has the sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment under the Constitution, cannot therefore possibly make a comment on the petition, and thus asks the honorable court that it be excused from submitting the comment,” it said in a manifestation.
It was signed by Office of the Senate Legal Counsel Maria Valentina S. Santana-Cruz.
In a resolution on Feb. 25, the full court gave the Senate 10 days to comment on the petition filed by the Ms. Duterte against her impeachment trial.
The Senate requested that the manifestation be considered its response in lieu of the required comment. A manifestation ad cautelam is a declaration made “out of caution” as a response to a petition filed in court.
Ms. Duterte earlier impleaded the Senate, represented by its president Francis G. Escudero, and the House under Speaker Martin G. Romualdez and its secretary general.
“A reading of the body of the above captioned petition reveals that it has actually no allegations against respondent Senate,” according to the pleading.
The House of Representatives impeached Ms. Duterte before it went on a four-month break on Feb. 5, alleging misuse of secret funds, unexplained wealth, acts of destabilization and plotting the assassination of the President, the First Lady and the Speaker.
The Impeachment complaint was filed and signed by more than 200 congressmen, more than the one-third legal requirement before it could be sent to the Senate, which will try her as an impeachment court. Under the 1987 Constitution, several congressmen will be serving as impeachment prosecutors.
Congress will reconvene for a two-week session on June 2.
The Senate plans to present the articles of impeachment and approve the revised impeachment rules once it reconvenes in June.
The proposes to start the trial on July 30, once 12 newly elected senators join the chamber and take their oath as impeachment judges with the 12 old members on July 29. — Adrian H. Halili
