Two ranking congressmen on Thursday, March 6, contended that the Senate technically had two more days before the session break last month but it decided to adjourn early and not start the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House Assistant Majority Leaders Jude Acidre of Tingog Party-list and Jay Khonghun of Zambales made the assertion in response to Senator Cynthia Villar's pronouncement that the House filed late its impeachment complaint against the Vice President.

“With all due respect to our good senator, Ma’am Cynthia, maliwanag po sa legislative calendar na hindi pa tapos ang sesyon nang matanggap ng Senado ang Articles of Impeachment. May dalawang araw pa sila para umaksyon kung talagang gusto nilang simulan agad ang proseso (It was clear in the legislative calendar that the session was not adjourned yet when the Senate received the Articles of Impeachment. It still had two days to act on the complaint). It’s a leadership issue,” Acidre said.

“Pareho po ang legislative calendar ng Senado at Kamara – hanggang Feb. 7 ang aming session. Pero hindi ibig sabihin na tapos na ang trabaho ng Kongreso noon. Ang malungkot lang, maaga silang nag-adjourn noong Feb. 5 kaya hindi nila ito naaksyunan (The Senate and the House had the same legislative calendar, which was until Feb. 7. But it did not mean that the work of the Congress would have to stop. What's saddening was the Senate adjourned early on Feb. 5 so it was not able to act on the case),” Khonghun added.

Acidre and Khonghun denied claims that the House of Representatives delayed the impeachment process, and pointed out that the chamber acted decisively to transmit the Articles of Impeachment as soon as possible.

Acidre said that from the moment the impeachment complaints were filed, House members had already been engaged in discussions to consolidate and strengthen the case.

“To say that the House ‘stalled’ or ‘delayed’ the impeachment is simply not true. We moved efficiently, ensuring the process was both swift and thorough,” Acidre said.

Meanwhile, Khonghun said that even if the Senate was not in session, the impeachment complaint was a very urgent constitutional issue that should have been taken up and resolved immediately.

Acidre underscored that the 1987 Constitution explicitly requires the Senate to act “forthwith” upon receiving the Articles of Impeachment – a mandate that, he noted, remains unfulfilled.

Khonghun expressed concerns over the delays as indicated by Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero’s proposed impeachment schedule in July.

“The issuance of Special Order No. 2025-015 is a welcome move because it recognizes the Senate’s duty to hold an impeachment trial. Pero ang tanong, bakit kailangang patagalin? (But the question is, why does it need to take this long)?" he asked.

Khonghun said that delaying the trial opens the door for political maneuvering and erodes public trust in the impeachment process.