Amid the chaos as law enforcement officers tried to serve an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant on Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the House of Representatives transmitted the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the Senate on Monday evening.

The transmittal occurred shortly after 7 p.m. when House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil and House Sergeant-at-Arms Ferdinand Melchor dela Cruz arrived at the Senate to hand over the documents to the office of the Senate Secretary.

Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca confirmed the House team’s arrival, noting that security forces were on high alert to ensure a peaceful turnover.

“(The Secretary General) SecGen of Congress and the Sergeant-at-Arms of Congress have just arrived with the articles of impeachment,” Aplasca said in an interview.

“Hopefully, nothing troublesome happens here. So we are maintaining peace and order,” he added.

The Senate was under lockdown when the documents were handed over, following reports that Dela Rosa, who had sought protection in the Senate premises, would be arrested.

The formal transmittal followed a House plenary vote last Monday where 257 lawmakers endorsed Committee Report 261 impeaching the Vice President.