House asks Senate to provide room for prosecutors during VP Sara's trial

The House of Representatives has requested the Senate to allot a temporary working station to house the 11-member prosecution panel once the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte begins.

In a letter dated 5 March but released only to the media on Sunday, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco explained to Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero that a designated room inside the Senate building will help foster close coordination between prosecutors and the House Secretariat Support Group.

The House made the request amid preparations for Duterte’s upcoming trial in the Senate. Escudero’s office formally received the letter on 6 March.

“On behalf of the House of Representatives Public Prosecution Panel, may I humbly request the assignment of a room in the Senate that will be utilized as a work and holding area for the Public Prosecutors and the House of Representatives Secretariat Support Group for the duration of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte,” the letter reads.

Velasco said they intend to inspect the room on Tuesday to ensure that the setup meets the needs and provides convenience for the prosecution team.

In a separate letter dated 3 March, Speaker Martin Romualdez confirmed that he had received Escudero’s letter, notifying the House about the Senate’s preparations for the upcoming impeachment proceeding, including its contentious calendar or timetable.

Romualdez said the House “trusts that the proceedings [in the Senate] will be conducted with fairness, impartiality, and strict adherence to the provisions of the Constitution.”

Duterte made history by being the first Vice President ever impeached by the House, with 215 lawmakers, or more than double the required 1/3 votes (102 signatories), voting to endorse the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

The Senate is expected to try her when the 20th Congress takes over, coinciding with the third State of the Nation Address of President Marcos in late July.

The House outlined seven impeachable offenses against Duterte, including betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

The articles of impeachment were primarily anchored on Duterte’s alleged plot to have Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and Romualdez killed, as well as the purported misappropriation of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to her office and the Department of Education during her tenure as its secretary.

The VP and a group of Mindanaoan lawyers allied with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had petitioned the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the Senate from acting on her impeachment case, alleging that the articles of impeachment were defective and rife with constitutional infirmities.

The Senate will need a two-thirds vote or at least 16 of the 24 sitting senators to convict Duterte. If convicted, she will be perpetually disqualified from holding any public office in the future, including her alleged ambition to run for the country’s top post in the 2028 elections.