MANILA — The 11-member House prosecution panel filed a manifestation instead of a reply to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s answer to the articles of impeachment, arguing that her submission does not raise factual issues requiring a substantive response.

House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil submitted the filing to the Senate, which was received by Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. at 11:15 a.m. on Monday. Copies were also furnished to the Office of the Vice President and the law firm Fortun Narvasa & Salazar.

In the five-page manifestation, the prosecution said Duterte again raised procedural, jurisdictional, and constitutional objections instead of addressing the factual allegations.

“Under the applicable rules, the allegations and defenses in the Answer are deemed controverted even without a Reply,” the filing stated.

“More fundamentally, the Answer raises no material factual issue that requires a responsive pleading. It does not meaningfully engage the factual allegations in the Articles of Impeachment, but instead concentrates on procedural, jurisdictional, and constitutional objections directed against the continuation of the proceedings,” it added.

Duterte is facing four articles of impeachment involving alleged misuse of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds, bribery, unexplained wealth, and grave threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

The prosecution said her answer failed to directly address the allegations or explain why she should not be held liable for the charges.

It added that the submission appears aimed at securing dismissal of the case before trial begins, which it said is not allowed under the Constitution or Senate impeachment rules.

According to the prosecutors, impeachment proceedings may only be terminated through an acquittal after full trial.

The panel also noted that Duterte’s jurisdictional and constitutional arguments are already pending before the Supreme Court.

“To the extent that these matters have been elevated for judicial determination, the Senate, sitting as an Impeachment Court, cannot be placed in the position of reviewing or pre-empting issues currently pending before the Supreme Court,” the filing stated.

The prosecution further argued that the Senate cannot pass upon the validity of the House’s impeachment proceedings, citing the Constitution’s grant of authority to the House to initiate impeachment cases.

It urged the Senate impeachment court to proceed with trial, saying further pleadings would only delay what the Constitution requires to be conducted “forthwith.”

House prosecution prepares for pre-trial

Following the filing, prosecutors said they are preparing for the next stages of the impeachment process, stressing readiness to proceed despite unresolved issues in the Senate.

Lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro, House trial spokesperson Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, and prosecutor Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said the filing marks the end of their response to Duterte’s answer and the start of preparations for pre-trial proceedings.

Luistro said the panel is working within the publicly announced timeline, with pre-trial and trial dates expected in June and July.

“We anticipate na June 18, ang 11 prosecutors po ay a-appear sa impeachment court for the first day of pre-trial conference, at July 6 para sa unang schedule ng trial,” she said.

“June 15 is the deadline for the filing of pre-trial brief,” she added.

However, she noted that no formal notice has yet been issued by the Senate impeachment court due to ongoing disputes between competing Senate blocs.

Co said the next phase would allow both sides to present their positions and evidence before the court.

“Simple lang naman ang panawagan natin: to move forward, we need closure. At para magka-closure, kailangan ng sagot,” she said.

Diokno added that the impeachment court is the proper venue for evaluating the allegations.

“Ang kailangan ngayon, litisin na agad ang kasong ito. Kami naman sa hanay ng prosecution ay handang-handa na mag-presenta ng ebidensya,” he said.