Senate impeachment court asserts exclusive jurisdiction after dismissal of petitions

The Senate impeachment court on Thursday, Aug. 6, declared that it now holds sole and exclusive authority over the case against Vice President Sara Duterte, following the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss two petitions questioning the House of Representatives’ impeachment proceedings.

In a statement, Senate impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol said the High Court's ruling affirms that the House has completed its constitutional mandate, officially shifting the trial to the Senate.

“Sa pag-dismiss ng High Court sa mga kasong ito dahil moot na ang isyu, kinumpirma lang nila kung ano ang matagal nang idinidikta ng Konstitusyon: tapos na ang trabaho ng Kamara,” Tongol said. (“In dismissing these cases for being moot, the High Court simply confirmed what the Constitution has long dictated: the House’s job is done.”)

“The accusatory phase is unequivocally complete; the adjudicatory phase has already commenced before the Impeachment Court,” he added.

The statement follows the Supreme Court En Banc’s dismissal of consolidated petitions filed by lawyer Israelito Torreon and Vice President Duterte, which challenged the proceedings previously conducted by the House Committee on Justice.

Tongol clarified that the Senate was never a party to those petitions and should not be drawn into procedural disputes stemming from the House phase.

“The Senate is a non-party to antecedent disputes,” Tongol stressed, pointing out that the impeachment court operates entirely distinct from the accusatory body.

He noted that procedural background, evidence-gathering, and findings generated by the House prior to transmitting the Articles of Impeachment remain solely under the House's purview and will not be re-litigated in the trial.

According to Tongol, the formal transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment activated the Senate’s sole authority to adjudicate.

“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,” Tongol said.

He assured the public that the tribunal would approach the case independently, starting with a “blank slate” and deciding strictly on evidence formally presented during trial.

“The prosecutors carry the heavy burden of proof, and the court will ensure that the respondent gets full, uncompromising due process in accordance with the constitutional guarantee to be presumed innocent,” Tongol added.

Moving forward, Tongol emphasized that the proceedings will strictly abide by the Constitution, the Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Trials, the Rules of Court, prevailing jurisprudence, and trial evidence.