House Lead Prosecutor Gerville Luistro confirmed that the prosecution panel will recognize the leadership of Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian in connection with the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Luistro said the House of Representatives formally recognized Gatchalian’s leadership on Wednesday through a statement issued by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III.
According to Luistro, it is logical for the prosecution panel to follow the position of the House leadership because the prosecutors represent the House of Representatives in the impeachment proceedings.
She also noted that Malacañang has already recognized Gatchalian as Acting Senate President.
Despite the recent developments in the Senate, Luistro clarified that the new Senate leadership has not yet sent any formal communication to the House prosecution team regarding the impeachment trial.
The chairperson of the House Committee on Justice expressed confidence that the Senate would soon return to its regular course of business and normal operations, allowing both sides to properly study the next steps for the impeachment proceedings.
Meanwhile, Luistro disclosed that the prosecution panel no longer intends to file a reply to Vice President Duterte’s response to the Articles of Impeachment.
She argued that the response submitted by Duterte’s camp did not directly refute the allegations contained in the impeachment complaint and instead repeated arguments that had already been raised previously.
Rather than submitting a formal reply, Luistro said the prosecution panel plans to file a manifestation before the Senate impeachment court.
The manifestation will explain the panel’s position and the reasons behind its decision not to submit an additional response to Duterte’s answer.
The impeachment case remains pending as both the House prosecution panel and the Senate prepare for the next stages of the proceedings.
