House SecGen inspects Senate ahead of VP Sara trial

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco on Tuesday conducted an ocular inspection of the Senate premises in preparation for the impending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Velasco was welcomed by his counterpart, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr., who guided him through the Senate Session Hall, where the trial is expected to take place in July.

"Our first visit is in this area [Session Hall]. This is where the trial will be held. As you can see, it had already been arranged. We are very happy to see the setup here," Velasco told reporters in an ambush interview after his inspection.

"We are very happy to see the facilities of the Senate, where the trial will be held. This is exactly the venue where the last impeachment trial was held," he added.

Velasco said the House of Representatives initially requested two rooms in the Senate for its prosecution team, which consists of 11 lawmakers, and for the secretariat support group.

“Basically, two rooms but of course we might have additional requirements for other staff and other people who will be important in this trial,” he said.

Impeachment prosecutors

The 11 members of the House who will serve as prosecutors in the impeachment trial are:

• Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville "JinkyBitrics" Luistro

• Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop

• 1-Rider Partylist Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez

• Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua

• AKO Bicol Partylist Rep. Rau Angelo "Jil" Bongalon

• General Santos Lone District Rep. Loreto Acharon

• 4Ps Partylist Rep. Marcelino Libanan

• Oriental Mindoro 1st District Rep. Arnan Panaligan

• San Juan Lone District Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora

• Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor

• Bukidnon 2nd District Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero reiterated that the Senate will take action on the impeachment complaint against Duterte after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.

The prosecution team will be responsible for defending the House's decision to impeach Duterte before the Senate impeachment court.

For Duterte to be convicted, the Senate must secure a two-thirds vote — or at least 16 out of the current 23 senators.

Among the articles of impeachment filed against Duterte is the alleged threat she made against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Additionally, she is accused of misuse and malversation of confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she headed for more than two years.