THE House of Representatives on Monday night formally endorsed and ordered the transmission to the Senate of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, setting the stage for a historic Senate impeachment trial.
The move came a few hours after the House voted 257-25-9 to impeach Duterte for the second time, with lawmakers approving House Resolution (HR) No. 989 together with the findings, conclusions, and recommendations contained in Committee Report No. 261.
It marked the second time the House voted to impeach Duterte after lawmakers also endorsed and transmitted an earlier impeachment complaint against her last year.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor of Iloilo moved for the formal endorsement of the impeachment complaint and all accompanying records to the Senate in accordance with the Constitution and House impeachment rules.
“Mr. Speaker, I move to endorse to the Senate the resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment, together with all the annexes pursuant to the rules of House on Impeachment Proceedings,” Defensor said on the plenary floor.
“Further, I move that the Secretary General be directed to prepare and transmit the same to the Senate for appropriate action in accordance with the Constitution and the rules of the House,” he added.
Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand L. Hernandez, who presided over the session, approved the motion after hearing no objection from the chamber.
“Is there any objection? The Chair hears none. The motion is approved,” Hernandez said.
“The resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment, together with all annexes, is hereby endorsed to the Senate,” he declared.
Defensor later moved to furnish copies of the committee report, Articles of Impeachment, and annexes to Duterte, the complainants, and the legal counsels of the parties once the documents were transmitted to the Senate.
“Mr. Speaker, as soon as the Articles of Impeachment are transmitted, I further move to furnish the Respondent, the Complainants, and the Council’s copies of the Committee Report and the resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment, including its annexes,” Defensor said.
Hernandez again approved the motion without objection.
“Is there any objection? The Chair hears none. The motion is approved. The Secretary General is so directed,” Hernandez said.
The formal endorsement marked the final action of the House in the impeachment proceedings before the case moves to the Senate, which is expected to convene as an impeachment court.
Duterte faces allegations involving misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, graft and corruption, and threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
Under the Constitution, the approval of at least one-third, or 106, of the House’s 318 members is sufficient to elevate an impeachment complaint to the Senate for trial — a threshold overwhelmingly surpassed by the 257 lawmakers who voted in favor of impeaching Duterte.
