Impeachment court's requirements from House should not be seen as 'traps' - spox
By Dhel Nazario
At A Glance
- Senate Impeachment Court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol defended the procedural requirements imposed on the House in the Vice President's impeachment case, saying they ensure constitutional compliance and are not meant to obstruct.
Senate Impeachment Court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol said on Wednesday, July 2, that the requirements the impeachment court has imposed on the House of Representatives should not be seen as a trap or measures to impede the impeachment proceedings.
Senate impeachment court spokesman Atty. Regie Tongol (screenshot from Youtube/Senate of the Philippines)
”The specific certifications being required from the House are all part of the effort to guarantee procedural legitimacy and to uphold constitutional standards,”Tongol said in a press conference.
”These certification procedures should not be seen as traps or measures to impede, but these certification processes help prevent any legal impediment or challenges or technicalities that could undermine the impeachment process once it starts rolling and to uphold the proceedings integrity,” he added.
As part of the impeachment court's order to the House prosecution panel, the senators voted to the motion that seeks to ensure that the House of Representatives of the 20th Congress communicates to the Senate that it is willing and ready to pursue the impeachment complaint against the Vice President.
However, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno noted that this second requirement should be examined, as it may be a trap and viewed as a violation of the one-year bar rule.
The House of Representatives' first requirement is to certify the non-violation of Article XI, Section 3, paragraph 5 of the Constitution, which provides that “No impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year,”; including the circumstances on the filing of the first three (3) impeachment complaints.
The House prosecution panel has already complied with this.
Tongol stated that the disrespect for or attempts to undermine the impeachment court processes threaten the independence and credibility of the court and jeopardizes public trust on the process itself.
“We, therefore, encourage the public and all involved parties to participate constructively and respectfully in the legal discussions without insinuating any malice on the court,” he added.