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Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference, February 7, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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20250207-sara duterte-impeachment-presscon

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174287389936820220207-vp-duterte-presscon-impeachment-MT-1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference, February 7, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The House of Representatives prosecution panel filed on Tuesday its first formal pleading before the Senate, which would act as impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.</p><p>House prosecutors Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan and 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez led the filing of the entry with a motion to issue summons.</p><p>They asked Senate President Francis Escudero, presiding officer of the Senate Impeachment Court, to issue the summons and direct Vice President Sara Duterte to file her answer to the articles of impeachment within 10 days.</p><p>The motion was received by Senate Secretary Renato Bantug past 10 am.</p><p>House Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Paolo Ortega and House Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Jay Khonghun were present at the filing.</p><p>The prosecution panel said the move was a critical step to compel the Vice President to respond to the articles of impeachment and avoid delays in the trial.</p><p>In the motion, the prosecution panel reiterated that the Senate should proceed with the impeachment trial &quot;forthwith.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Thus, it behooves the Honorable Impeachment Court to give effect to the constitutional mandate for the instant impeachment case to ‘forthwith proceed’ and issue the writ of summons to respondent Duterte,&quot; it stated.</p><p>The Senate legal team will study the filing, Senate President Francis Escudero said.</p><p>&quot;I haven&#x27;t seen it. [I] will refer it to the Senate Legal Team and discuss with them tomorrow.  We will act on this accordingly and in due course,&quot; he told reporters.</p><p>Some 200 members of the House impeached Duterte on February 5 and transmitted the verified impeachment complaint on the same day.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/5/house-impeaches-vp-sara-duterte-1551">House impeaches VP Sara Duterte </a></div><p>The Senate received the complaint but did not tackle it before the session ended.</p><p>Escudero earlier said they could not convene the impeachment court while on break. He added the impeachment trial is expected to begin on July 30.</p><p>The allegations against Duterte include an alleged assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.</p><p>Duterte has insisted that the assassination charge, stemming from an expletive-laden broadcast in which she claimed to have instructed a man to kill Marcos were she to be killed first, was simply venting frustration with the administration.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/8/house-members-dispute-vp-sara-s-denial-of-threatening-marcos-family-1249">House members dispute VP Sara&#x27;s denial of threatening Marcos, family</a></div><p>Her office’s use of confidential funds was also among the articles of impeachment filed by the House of Representatives before the Senate. Duterte had denied allegations of corruption and fund misuse, saying the claims were part of political persecution.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/17/receipts-signed-by-jay-kamote-miggy-mango-may-be-used-as-add-l-evidence-vs-vp-duterte-1848">Receipts signed by &#x27;Jay Kamote,&#x27; &#x27;Miggy Mango&#x27; may be used as add&#x27;l evidence vs VP Duterte</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>LEAD PROSECUTOR </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Meanwhile, House Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan has been &quot;informally appointed&quot; as the lead prosecutor of the 11-member panel for the impeachment trial of Duterte.</p><p>&quot;We have submitted a letter, the prosecutors signed by the other 10 prosecutors, including myself, that we have appointed, constituted and empowered the most senior member of the public prosecutors, the honorable Marcelino Libanan to perform the following acts on behalf of all public prosecutors in the VP Duterte impeachment case,&quot; House prosecutor 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez said.</p><p>“In summary, we have instituted the honorable Libanan to be empowered to sign any of these documents in relation to impeachment,&quot; he said. &quot;So, although it is not yet formal, in effect, ito po ay ang tinatawag natin na lead prosecutor.&quot;</p><p>Libanan said he acknowledges the challenges of the additional work given to him amid the campaign period.</p><p>&quot;Kung anong iutos sa amin ng plenaryo as constitutional duty at ako ang pipirma ng mga pleadings, ay gagampanan ko po yun. Dahil &#x27;di hamak ako naman sa lahat ng prosecutors, ako naman ang pinakabeterano diyan dahil 11th Congress pa lang ako nandito na ako sa Congress at naging chairman tayo ng committee on justice,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Ang ating tulong po dito ay magkaroon lang tayo ng maayos na proceedings at ibigay natin ang ating mga dinaanan, experience na maging mas lalong gumanda ng ating bansa, mas lalong tumibay ang ating bansa,&quot; Libanan added.</p><p>— With reports from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse </p><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B-8XU8loY8A" title="FULL: Vice President Sara Duterte holds press conference | March 20 | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rLSYs4suT3A" title="Sara Duterte: &#x27;Kung palpak man si Nicholas Kaufman, ako ang mananagot sa taumbayan&#x27; | ABS CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The House of Representatives prosecution panel filed on Tuesday its first formal pleading before the Senate, which would act as impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. </p>

The House of Representatives prosecution panel filed on Tuesday its first formal pleading before the Senate, which would act as impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House prosecutors ask Senate: Direct Sara Duterte to answer articles of impeachment

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House prosecutors ask Senate: Direct Sara Duterte to answer articles of impeachment

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 25, 2025 11:55 AM PHT

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Updated Mar 25, 2025 03:22 PM PHT

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