The separation of powers between the three branches of government isn't something that should be purposefully trampled on.

House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Lorenz Defensor had this to say Monday, Feb. 2 as he sounded off on the Supreme Court's (SC) recent affirmation of its ruling last year declaring the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional.

“There is a separation of powers kung saan dapat hindi lumalampas ang mga departamento sa isa't-isa (wherein the different departments don't encroach on each other). The legislative department should not encroach on the judicial department and the judicial department should not also encroach on the executive and the legislative department,” Defensor said in a chance interview.

“We don't have to assert our independence. Our independence is laid down by the law...Wala akong nakikitang (I don't see any) clear sign of grave abuse of discretion on the part of the rules of the House of Representatives," he said, referring to the rules of impeachment.

Last Jan. 28, the SC upheld its July 25, 2025 decision wherein it struck down the impeachment rap prepared by the House against Vice President Duterte in the previous 19th Congress.

While Defensor repeatedly said in the interview that the House respects the institution that is the SC, he couldn't help but admit to feeling "bothered" by the high court's suggestion to count sessions days like normal calendar days.

"It bothers me that they are dictating how we interpret our session days. It bothers me that they are suggesting how we should proceed with impeachment referral especially if impeachment complaints endorsed by all members of the House of Representatives. Hindi na dapat sina-suggest ng [SC] kahit iginagalang natin sila kung paano ipo-proseso," he said.

(Even if we respect them, the SC shouldn't make suggestions about the process anymore.)

The ranking Visayas solon says that changing how session days are counted will impact legislative work in the House.

As far as he's concerned, Defensor says the House rules "[follow] the intent of the Constitution, especially when it comes to the initiation of impeachment complaints".

At any rate, Defensor says there is now a need rewrite its the 300-plus strong chamber’s impeachment rules

“We will respect the [SC] ruling and we will see that the revised rules that we will approve, first of all, [will] be aligned to the provisions of the Constitution and aligned with the intentions of the framers of the Constitution,” he said.

“Let's leave the session days as it is but for impeachment complaints we will follow the [SC] that a session day is a calendar day without expressly saying that in the House of Representatives rules on impeachment,” he noted.

Defensor says the rules rewrite is anchored on making the process "more definitive".