VICE President Sara Duterte, through her legal counsel, formally submitted her response to the Articles of Impeachment before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court on Monday, meeting the deadline set by the chamber.
Led by lawyer Michael Poa, her legal team arrived at the Senate premises carrying the physical documents in several pieces of luggage to complete the filing process. “We just wanted to officially state that the vice president, through counsel, has filed her answer to the writ of summons issued by the Senate sitting as an impeachment court,” Poa announced to the media.
In her formal pleading, Duterte’s legal team argued that the impeachment complaint is fundamentally flawed, describing it as “constitutionally infirm, procedurally defective, and substantively deficient.” They categorically denied all accusations raised against her and urged the impeachment court to dismiss the case outright. The response also challenged the proceedings conducted by the House of Representatives, asserting that the lower chamber’s so‑called “mini‑trial” exceeded the bounds of its constitutional authority.
According to the document, none of the allegations brought forward meet the required constitutional standards to establish grounds for impeachment, such as culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, high crimes, or betrayal of public trust. The filing further alleged that instead of presenting solid, credible evidence of impeachable acts, the complaint relies heavily on erroneous conclusions, speculation, political rhetoric, and information gathered through what they called an “unauthorized evidentiary fishing expedition” that went beyond the House’s proper role.
The Senate had given the vice president until June 1 to submit her reply, and she has now complied within the prescribed period. Under the rules, the House prosecution panel is given a strict, non‑extendible period of five calendar days upon receipt of the answer to file their reply. This development comes after the House of Representatives voted 257‑25 last May 11 to impeach Duterte for the second time, citing multiple offenses ranging from constitutional violations to betrayal of public trust.
metrosundaily
