House prosecutor to Escudero: What defiance?

House prosecutor to Escudero: What defiance? | Daily Tribune

San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora on Thursday dismissed claims the House of Representatives is undermining the authority of the Senate impeachment court in the case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Zamora, a member of the House prosecution panel, made the clarification during the 127th Philippine Independence Day celebration at the Pinaglabanan Shrine, in response to Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s assertion that the House cannot defy the impeachment court’s directive.

“We’re not defying the impeachment court. As prosecutors, we’re bound by law and by the court itself,” she said.

She pushed back on the Senate’s move returning the articles of impeachment to the House, arguing that the Constitution does not give the upper chamber the authority to do so.

The issuance of a summons, she said, contradicted the act of remanding the articles since the documents are necessary for the Vice President’s official response.

Zamora said it would be illogical for the Senate to summon the Vice President without attaching the very articles she is expected to answer.

She insisted that even though the Senate rules may not explicitly prohibit remanding the articles, there is no constitutional basis for it.

She stressed that once the House transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate it was constitutionally mandated to conduct the trial.

“That’s the standard we follow,” she said, emphasizing that it’s the Senate’s role to try and decide the case — not to question how the House reached its decision.

Zamora also clarified that the House has not yet transmitted its resolution certifying the constitutional compliance of the impeachment case against Duterte, which the Senate court asked for.

While the House leadership authorized the secretary general to issue the certification, she said there is no obligation to forward it to the Senate.

‘We followed the rules’

She questioned the Senate’s resolution remanding the articles, saying it was puzzling given that the House had already done its part under the Constitution.

“The fact that we transmitted the articles should be enough to show that we followed the rules,” she said.

The House adopted its resolution Wednesday night, during the final session day of the 19th Congress. Despite the procedural back-and-forth, Zamora said the prosecution’s preparations for the impeachment trial are ongoing.

The prosecution panel, she said, holds weekly meetings with private lawyers, House staff, and the secretary general’s office. Smaller groups also meet separately to handle specific assignments.

She maintained there is no need for the Senate to convene a special session, even as the chamber has adjourned.

According to Zamora, deadlines still apply — for instance, the Vice President has 10 days to respond to the summons, and the prosecution panel has five days to reply — regardless of whether the Senate is in session.

Zamora acknowledged the case could get bogged down in technicalities, especially if the Senate later decides to change course. The House panel, she said, is seeking written clarifications from the impeachment court on certain issues that remain unclear.

On Tuesday, the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, voted 18-5 to remand the articles of impeachment without dismissing or terminating them.

The House impeached Vice President Duterte on 5 February, with 215 lawmakers voting to adopt the articles of impeachment.

The Vice President faces charges of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

Duterte is accused of the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.

Likewise, she is charged with threatening the lives of the President, the First Lady, and the House Speaker.