MANILA — The House of Representatives has deferred acceptance of the articles of impeachment it filed against Vice President Sara Duterte and that the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, ordered returned to the lower chamber.

During a plenary session on Wednesday, the House adopted the motion by House Deputy Majority Leader Faustino “Inno” Dy V of Isabela to wait for answers to clarificatory questions from the House prosecution panel.

'UNCLEAR'

The move is consistent with the House prosecution panel's stand that the impeachment court's remand order is unclear.

The impeachment court had ordered the articles of impeachment sent back to the House.

It also told the House to submit two documents:

1.  Certification that the House complied with constitutional requirements in initiating the verified complaint against Duterte

2. A resolution from the House of the 20th Congress affiriming it will pursue prosecution of the complaint.

Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor, a House prosecutor, said the order shows "the Senate impeachment court has recognized that the impeachment court can cross over to the 20th Congress, as it should be in the Constitution."

Although the House has yet to accept the remanded articles of impeachment, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro asserted it is not "disobedience" to the order.

"We resolve to seek the clarification of the impeachment court. To give way to the clarification…I would defer receiving the articles of impeachment from the Senate, including whatever orders they will be transmitting to us."

House prosecutors and individuals supporting Duterte’s impeachment attended a prayer service at the House of Representatives on Wednesday morning, where a priest condemned the actions of the senator-judges who voted to return the articles of impeachment to the lower chamber.

“As we condemn the actions of the 18 senators, let us not forget the light… Mayroong lima nanindigan (There were five who stood for what is right),” Fr. Flavie Villanueva, a complainant in the first impeachment complaint filed against Duterte, said.