THE 11-member House prosecution panel said it will only recognize notices and orders issued under the leadership of Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, consistent with the position of the House of Representatives on the current Senate leadership arrangement.
The clarification comes amid an ongoing standoff between competing Senate blocs claiming authority over the upper chamber and its committees, including matters related to the impeachment court.
Lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said Monday that the prosecution panel, being part of the House institutional mandate, will follow whatever leadership the chamber recognizes in the conduct of impeachment proceedings.
These would cover the prosecution’s compliance with official notices, schedules, and orders that will be issued by the Senate sitting as an impeachment court under Gatchalian’s leadership.
“In other words, if the position of the House of Representatives is in favor of the legitimacy of the leadership of acting SP Gachalian then it follows na doon din po kami susunod in as far as notices and orders are concerned. At doon din po kami mag-aappear sa notices of proceedings na ilalabas nila,” she said during Monday’s press conference.
Luistro, however, noted that any conflicting notices from the two Senate factions could create procedural complications and potentially delay the trial. Although she expressed confidence that the publicly released timeline under the leadership of former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano will still be followed.
“That may cause delay kung sakali na may dalawang notices, but I am positive na susundin pa rin yung timeline,” she said, considering Gatchalian’s pronouncement that he is inclined to follow the same schedule originally agreed upon by senator judges.
“At dahil sa pronouncement na yan, ni acting SP Win kami naman po ay nananalig na walang mababago sa mga petsang napapaloob doon,” she added.
The prosecution panel said it remains prepared for the impeachment process, regardless of any changes in the schedule. Following the tentative schedule, Luistro said the prosecution is preparing for a possible June 15 deadline for the submission of pre-trial briefs, a June 18 start of pre-trial conference, and a July 6 trial date.
House prosecutor Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno stressed that institutional alignment between the upper and lower chambers is necessary for the impeachment proceedings to move forward, urging the Senate to resolve its internal dispute. .
“Ngayon pagdating sa mga issue about the House leadership, that’s really something that should be settled within that august chamber,” he said.
Reiterating Luistro’s point, Diokno said that the House as an institution should also respect the resolutions already recognized by both chambers. This includes the resolutions adopted by the House and Senate to adjourn sine die on June 3, the same day all Senate seats were declared vacant and Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore with a quorum of 12.
“At the same time as the Chair said as an institution we have to respect the resolutions that came when we adjourned sine die so ‘yun ang susundan po namin at siguro abangan na lang ninyo yung mga susunod na mangyayari sa Senado,” Diokno said.
House trial spokesperson Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co said any disruption in the schedule would affect public expectations, noting that the public is closely monitoring the impeachment process.
“Sa bahagi ng mamamayan, na-release na ang schedule at mabibigo na naman sila kung hindi masusunod,” Co said.
“So nasa interes din ng proseso ng pananagutan kung anumang nalatag na ng mga petsa at may commitment naman ng both Houses and may commitment right now from the prosecution panel na susundin natin siya kailangan na natin ituloy tuloy ito,” she added.
She also said that adherence to the timeline is important to ensure accountability proceedings move forward without further delay. “Ang panawagan nga natin start the process start the trial,” Co stressed.
The issuance of official notices, Luistro emphasized, is crucial for the proceedings to proceed properly, adding that the impeachment court itself must ultimately clarify administrative arrangements.
“We need the impeachment court because all the guidelines, including the notices, will be coming from the impeachment court through their designated clerk of court,” she said.
She added that the Senate secretary general may also play a role in issuing official notices once designated as clerk of court for the impeachment proceedings. This comes as the prosecution has yet to receive the official notice for the pre-trial conference.
If the conflict in Senate leadership continues, Luistro said the impeachment court cannot operate with two presiding officers or two clerks of court, reiterating that the Constitution does not contemplate a dual leadership arrangement in the Senate.
“The Constitution does not provide for interim administration ‘no, ang hirap din iconceive na dalawa ang Senate president, dalawa ang Senate Secretaries, dalawa ang clerk of court,” she said.
“There has to be one only because that’s what the Constitution provides ‘no and with respect to the 11 prosecutors we have manifested already our position kung na saan ang House nandoon kami, kung ang rinerecognize ng House ay ang leadership ni Acting SP Win, then we are recognizing the same leadership,” Luistro added.
The House prosecution panel on Monday submitted a manifestation before the Senate impeachment court in response to Vice President Sara Duterte’s answer to the articles of impeachment, opting not to file a formal reply after she issued a general denial and raised no new factual matters requiring a response. The Senate received the filing at 11:15 a.m
