Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp is aiming for the dismissal of the impeachment case against her, as discerned by the House prosecution panel from her Answer Ad Cautelam in response to the Articles of Impeachment.
“It is obvious from a simple reading of the answer ad cautelam—which relies on misleading claims and baseless procedural objections— that the only legal strategy of the defense is to have the case dismissed and avoid trial,” said 4Ps Partylist Rep. Marcelino Nonoy Libanan, lead prosecutor, in the closing remarks of the panel’s reply.
Spokesperson for the House prosecution team, Atty. Antonio Bucoy explained the Vice President lacks a solid defense, as her response is purely composed of “general denial(s),” and does not answer the “factual allegations” against her.
In addition, she made “several misleading and false material statements." For one, she claimed the case violated the “one-year bar rule,” which does not permit the filing of multiple impeachment proceedings against an official within a single year. Prosecutors said that there has only been one complaint lodged on February 5.
Bucoy appealed for the Senate impeachment court to begin the trial sooner rather than later. Senator judges, he said, must adhere to the Constitution and refuse to give in to the defense’s strategy.
The prosecution panel submitted its reply earlier this morning, with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) receiving it at 11:02 a.m. and the Fortun Narvasa & Salazar law firm at 11:52 a.m. The Senate received it at 1:38 p.m.
