The House Prosecution panel will not yet accept the copy of the Articles of Impeachment returned by the Impeachment Court, according to House Prosecutor Representative Gerville Luistro.
In a press conference, Luistro stated that they will defer accepting the document until they clarify some matters.
Specifically, the prosecution will seek clarification from the impeachment court regarding its second request, which asks whether the 20th Congress is willing to pursue the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The prosecution noted that this question is impossible to answer since the 20th Congress does not yet exist.
The prosecution panel also seeks to clarify the cancellation of the presentation of the articles of impeachment, which they believe is a crucial part of the impeachment process.
However, the prosecution welcomed the impeachment court’s service of the summons to Vice President Duterte, requiring her to respond to the impeachment complaint within 10 days.
They view this as proof that the impeachment trial will proceed.
Prior to this, the senate impeachment court passed a motion returning the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives for them to issue certification that it complied with the one- year ban rule on impeachment proceedings as stated in the 1987 Constitution.
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.