THE House of Representatives has declared that Vice President Sara Duterte’s personal trip to Malaysia will not impede the ongoing impeachment proceedings against her.
House spokesperson, Princess Abante, issued a statement Tuesday reiterating the Senate’s constitutional duty to proceed with the trial, regardless of Duterte’s absence.
Abante emphasized that established procedural rules address situations where personal service of the Articles of Impeachment is impossible. “The impeachment rules outline procedures for serving and notifying the accused,” she explained. “While personal service is ideal, alternative methods are available should personal service prove infeasible.”
The Vice President’s office confirmed Duterte’s departure for a family trip to Malaysia, including planned attendance at Malaysia’s Independence Day celebrations and meetings with overseas Filipino workers. Her travel coincides with the impending start of the Senate impeachment trial, scheduled to begin on June 11th.
The Senate is set to convene as an impeachment court on that date, reading the Articles of Impeachment and issuing a summons to Duterte. She will then have ten days to respond, followed by a five-day period for the House prosecutors to file their reply.
The House prosecutors, Abante confirmed, remain fully prepared for the trial, continuing to review the case. “The House of Representatives is ready for its role in the impeachment trial,” she stated. “Our prosecutors are prepared and continue to prepare, awaiting the formal commencement of the proceedings.”
The impeachment complaint against Duterte, filed on February 5th, includes charges of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
The complaint also cites allegations of an assassination plot, bribery, unexplained wealth, and links to extrajudicial killings. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required for conviction, which would remove Duterte from office and bar her from future public positions.
