Impeachment Court Explains Articles of Impeachment Return
Impeachment court spokesperson Lawyer Reginald Tongol clarified on June 14 that there was no physical return of the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives. Instead, he described the process as a “constructive referral.” This explanation sheds light on the impeachment court’s handling of the articles and the ongoing proceedings.
In an interview on a local radio program, Tongol explained that the Senate’s order simply asked the House to revisit and supplement the transmitted articles. “Yung pag-re-return o pag-re-refer back po ng articles of impeachment, wala pong physical na ipinapasa o ibinabalik sa House po. Ito lamang po ay constructive referral. Meaning, tingnan niyo po ulit yung inyong ipinasang articles of impeachment at dagdagan niyo yan na itong mga dalawang sertipikasyon na hinihingi po namin,” he said.
House Leadership’s Willingness to Comply
Tongol also mentioned Speaker Martin Romualdez’s remarks during the House’s final session day. The Speaker expressed the House’s readiness to comply, which the impeachment court welcomes to avoid conflict. “And I think doon po rin sa sinabi ni House Speaker Romualdez nung speech niya po nung huling araw ng House, sinabi niya rin po na magkocomply sila,” Tongol added.
The impeachment court wants to resolve these issues internally without escalating to the Supreme Court. “Let’s resolve this ourselves, and let us be the ones to decide on the constitutional issues, and that there’s no need to involve the Supreme Court (SC) or wait for it to step in,” he emphasized.
No Constitutional Issues Involved
When asked if this process posed constitutional problems, Tongol firmly denied it. “Actually po, wala namang constitutional issue [sa pag-return ng articles of impeachment] doon kasi nga as to all matters about trying and deciding about the happenings about an impeachment, this is the sole power po ng ating Senado as an impeachment court,” he explained.
He further clarified that the Senate’s power in impeachment is broad and based on established precedents from both Philippine and US jurisprudence. He noted the impeachment rules allow flexibility and differ from regular court procedures. “That’s why, if you look at the Senate rules on impeachment, they are not very specific, unlike the rules of ordinary courts,” he said.
This flexibility permits political interpretation by senator-judges, distinguishing impeachment trials from normal court cases. “Because it allows the political side to interpret how our senator-judges understand the events or motions filed. That’s why the impeachment process was not entrusted to a regular court,” Tongol added.
Next Steps in the Impeachment Process
The Senate, acting as the impeachment court, expects to continue deliberations after the House complies with the requested procedural clarifications. The cooperative stance from the House leadership aims to prevent clashes and constitutional crises during this sensitive process.
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