The spokesperson of the Senate impeachment court stated that the Supreme Court’s dismissal of Vice President Sara Duterte’s petition confirms the House of Representatives has finished its constitutional duty, placing sole jurisdiction of the trial with the Senate.
In a statement released on Thursday, August 6, Senate impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol emphasized that the High Court’s decision to dismiss the petitions as moot reinforces the established constitutional framework for impeachment.
“In dismissing these cases as moot, the High Court merely confirmed what the Constitution has long dictated: the House’s work is done. The accusatory phase is unequivocally complete; the adjudicatory phase has already commenced before the Impeachment Court,” Tongol said.
Tongol issued the statement a day after the Supreme Court dismissed separate petitions from Duterte and her counsel, Atty. Israelito Torreon, which aimed to invalidate the House-initiated impeachment proceedings. The High Court determined that the petitions were moot because the Articles of Impeachment had already been transmitted to the Senate.
Tongol noted that the ruling confirms the Senate impeachment court holds exclusive authority to adjudicate the trial.
“Pursuant to Article XI, Section 3(6) of our 1987 Constitution, the Impeachment Court now holds the sole and exclusive power to try and decide this case. The jurisdiction of the Impeachment Court is now absolute,” he said.
He further explained that because the House proceedings are concluded, the impeachment court operates independently of the earlier stage and will weigh the case strictly against the evidence and legal standards.
“The Court’s standard from this point on is simple: the prosecutors bear the heavy burden of proof, and the Court will ensure that the respondent receives full, uncompromising due process in accordance with the constitutional guarantee of the presumption of innocence,” Tongol said.
Tongol stressed that the impeachment court will be guided exclusively by established legal rules, constitutional provisions, and formal trial evidence.
“Moving forward, the Impeachment Court will be guided solely by the Constitution, the Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Trials, the Rules of Court, jurisprudence, and the solid evidence formally presented before the Court itself,” he further said.