No hits? House was chided over impeachment rap delay – Abante

Filing of impeachment complaint on Vice President Sara Duterte to House Sec. Gen. Reginald Velasco at the House of Representatives (INQUIRER file photo by LYN RILLON)

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives was criticized when it failed to immediately transmit the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.

House spokesperson Princess Abante reminded the Senate leadership during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Abante was asked about Senate President Francis Escudero’s statements that people who criticize the Senate for its alleged inaction on the impeachment proceedings were silent when the House spent over two months before finalizing the complaints.

According to the spokesperson, the House had its share of criticisms during that time —  from December 2024 when the first three complaints were submitted, up to February when the fourth impeachment complaint was filed by over 215 lawmakers.

“I think during the time that people were waiting for the transmittal of the complaints, there were many individuals asking the House what had happened to the impeachment complaints,” Abante remembered.

“But the work of the House is not just to accept and transmit the complaints. It has to validate and verify these complaints, to ensure that this is correct in form, correct in substance, correct in the grounds, and that there is a sufficient number for it to be transmitted,” she said.

According to Abante, the House responded to the complaints within the appropriate time.

“Yes, immediately. What was stated under the law is that the House has to act immediately and this was addressed by the chamber immediately to ensure a proper flow in terms of the processes,” she noted.

Escudero made the statements in his speech on Monday night during  the heated debate on whether or not the Senate should already convene as an impeachment court.

He stressed that the three impeachment complaints filed last December 2025 were not forwarded by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco to House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, even if the House rules state that it should be done immediately.

Escudero implied that the House did not get flak even if its response to the impeachment complaints were supposedly delayed.

“Maybe some will say that it’s already done. It has passed by, like what Senator Koko (Pimentel) said,” the Senate president said.

“We cannot do anything about that anymore. I already know that, but I have a question I want to impart before we leave these discussions: Where are those who call on the Senate to address the matter forthwith?  Where are those who say that these should not be delayed and set aside?” Escudero wondered.

“They sat on it for over two months, almost three months. They did not act on it, but we did not hear any complaints from them right?” he asked.

There were several groups that called out the House for not addressing the complaints.

On December 20, 2024, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc — ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel — released a joint statement saying that the House should already address the three petitions.

READ: House urged to act on VP Sara Duterte impeachment complaints 

At one point, Castro doubted whether or not there was really a fourth complaint — as Velasco cited talks about the crafting of a fourth complaint as the reason why the first three raps were not immediately forwarded to Romualdez.

Then on January 14, former Senator Leila de Lima, who was the spokesperson for the first set of complainants, said that the delay in the processing of impeachment complaints against Duterte might send the wrong signals.

“To delay action would not only betray the people’s demand for truth and accountability but would also send a dangerous signal — that the House of Representatives is willing to tolerate gross incompetence, abuse of power, and the mismanagement of public funds,” de Lima said.

READ: De Lima: House delaying impeachment vs VP Sara sends wrong signals 

READ: House impeaches Sara Duterte, fast-tracking transmittal to Senate

All in all, it took the House around two months to process the complaints — which Abante believes is enough if the paramount consideration was ensuring that the impeachment articles go through the right processes./apl