IMPEACHMENT COURT RECEIVES HOUSE PRESECUTION'S MANIFESTATION

The Senate impeachment court on Monday confirmed receipt of the House prosecution panel’s manifestation in response to Vice President Sara Duterte’s answer to the articles of impeachment.

The prosecution panel earlier described Duterte’s submission as a “non-answer,” arguing that it failed to directly address the allegations contained in the impeachment complaint and therefore required no formal reply.

Duterte’s camp filed its response on June 1, seeking the dismissal of the impeachment case on grounds of alleged constitutional, procedural, and substantive defects in the proceedings conducted by the House of Representatives.

The vice president’s legal team maintained that the impeachment complaint should be dismissed before trial due to what it described as fatal flaws in the process.

Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro, who heads the House prosecution panel, previously said the prosecution would oppose any attempt to dismiss the case.

Joining Luistro on the prosecution team are Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Representative Leila de Lima, Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno, San Juan Representative Ysabel Zamora, Manila Representative Joel Chua, Iloilo Representative Lorenz Defensor, Bukidnon Representative Keith Flores, 1-Rider Party-list Representative Rodge Gutierrez, Cagayan de Oro Representative Lordan Suan, and Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag-ao.

Duterte is facing impeachment charges over allegations that include the misuse of confidential funds, bribery of government officials, unexplained wealth, and an alleged plot to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The impeachment proceedings remain pending before the Senate impeachment court.