There is no constitutional basis for the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, to dismiss the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, contrary to what her camp is saying, according to Lanao del Sur First District Rep. Zia Adiong.

“What they intend to achieve is for the impeachment court to dismiss the impeachment complaint, which I believe the Senate, acting as an impeachment court, has no option to do under the Constitution,” Adiong, spokesperson of the House prosecution panel, said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.

Adiong said Duterte’s defense team has yet to present new counter-arguments to refute the allegations contained in the Articles of Impeachment that were transmitted to the Senate on 13 May.

“They thought that by actively engaging the media, they could provide answers, particularly counter-arguments to the articles that had been transmitted to the Senate,” he said.

“There’s nothing; they have not offered our fellow citizens any new counter-arguments to invalidate the allegations in the Articles of Impeachment,” Adiong said.

He noted that the public continues to closely follow the case and weigh the arguments of both sides.

“Our fellow citizens are expecting that the impeachment trial will continue,” he said.

“The defense team has said many times over that they will answer the allegations in the proper forum,” he added.

Adiong reiterated that the House prosecution panel expects the Vice President’s defense team to present evidence to directly refute the allegations in the impeachment articles.

However, he said, the defense has largely repeated its previous arguments, including questioning the legitimacy of the impeachment process itself.