THE House of Representatives, through its legal representative, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), on Friday submitted its compliance to the Supreme Court’s directive to provide information on the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to the OSG, the required pleading has already been filed electronically via the Philippine Judiciary Portal and served to all parties through electronic service. A physical copy will also be formally filed with the Supreme Court through personal service on Monday.
The House stands by its position that all four impeachment complaints were handled in full compliance with the Constitution. All three initial complaints were included in the Order of Business within the ten-session-day period required by the Constitution. The fourth complaint, signed and verified by more than one-third of House Members, effectively constituted the Articles of Impeachment and was transmitted directly to the Senate, rendering the earlier complaints moot and subject to archiving.
We reiterate that the Vice President’s right to due process is fully preserved through the impeachment trial itself—where she will have the opportunity to defend herself and present evidence.
In the Compliance, the House also emphasized that, with the utmost respect for the Supreme Court, it was asserting its exclusive authority over its internal deliberative functions, an authority grounded on the fundamental principle of separation of powers and the legislature’s status as a co-equal branch of government.
Thus, the Compliance states that the internal procedures of the House in reviewing and endorsing the complaint fall within the exclusive domain of legislative discretion. There is no constitutional requirement detailing how individual members must review the complaint before signing, nor is there any basis for questioning their certification under oath that they studied and understood the charges and supporting documents.
The House remains committed to transparency, constitutional fidelity, and upholding the rule of law. We trust that the Supreme Court will accord the same deference to the prerogatives of a co-equal branch of government as enshrined in our democratic framework
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