IMPEACHMENT prosecutor and House Committee on Public Accounts Chairperson Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro Party-list said on Wednesday that Congress is not delaying the impeachment proceedings, stressing that the House is ensuring the proper reproduction and verification of the articles of impeachment before transmitting them to the Senate.
“Ginagawa po ng Kamara sa bagay po na ito para tiyakin po na yong lahat na yong lahat ng due process requirements patungkol po sa pangalawang pangulo at sa kabuuan po ng proseso ay magampanan po nang tama at maayos ng mababang kapulungan,” he said in a statement.
Ridon issued the statement in response to criticism from Imee Marcos, who accused the House of delaying the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte by citing the reproduction of “voluminous documents” as the reason for the delay. She claimed tha the House has enough staff to reproduce the documents and transmit the articles without taking days.
The Senate leadership changed on the same day Duterte was impeached for the second time on May 11, with the majority now composed mostly of Duterte-aligned senators led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
While acknowledging Marcos’ concerns regarding the transmittal of the articles of impeachment, Ridon emphasized that the current proceedings differ from the first impeachment complaint, which was transmitted to the Senate on the same day Duterte was first impeached on February 5, 2025.
“Iginagalang po natin ‘yong pagtingin ni Senator Imee Marcos sa usapin po ng transmittal ng articles of impeachment pero kailangan po nating linawin na magkaiba po ang sitwasyon nung nagdaang taon dito po sa panibagong impeachment laban sa pangalawang pangulo sa ilalim po ng impeachment sa taon pong ito,” he said.
According to Ridon, the current impeachment proceedings followed the first mode of impeachment under House rules, where complaints were filed and referred to the Committee on Justice. The committee subsequently conducted clarificatory hearings and gathered documentary evidence and witness testimonies before finding probable cause to pursue an impeachment.
“Dumaan po ito sa House Committee on Justice kung saan saklaw po ng naging pagdinig at mga pagkalap ng mga dokumento at ebidensya. So rightfully so, mas makapal at mas mahaba po yong dokumento at ebidensyang pinaguusapan po natin,” he added.
House Secretary Cheloy Garafil said Tuesday night that the secretariat is still reproducing copies of the impeachment documents for submission to the Senate. She explained that the process is taking several days because the articles and supporting attachments span thousands of pages and are being thoroughly checked to ensure the accuracy of the House’s submission.
Ridon also said the House is exercising additional caution in handling the impeachment proceedings in light of the Supreme Court’s (SC) new guidelines after it voided the first impeachment complaint.
He further stressed that neither the Constitution nor the House rules on impeachment proceedings require the articles of impeachment to be transmitted to the Senate on the same day as the impeachment vote.
“Panghuli, wala din naman pong nagsasabi sa batas sa Konstitusyon at sa mga rules ng impeachment ng Kongreso at Senado na kailangan pong magkaroon ng transmittal on the same day as the impeachment vote po sa Kamara,” he said.
“So sisikapin po ng Kamara na maipadala sa pinakamaagang panahon ang articles of impeachment sa Senado nang sa ganon ay makapag-convene na po na pinakamaagang panahon din ang senado bilang isang senate impeachment court,” Ridon added.
The House voted Monday to impeach Duterte for the second time, with 257 lawmakers voting in favor of sending the case to trial, while 25 voted against the measure and nine abstained.
