Erwin Tulfo bares House’s plan to refile impeachment case vs Sara Duterte

Senator-elect Erwin Tulfo (File photo)

MANILA,  Philippines — Will the return of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives prompt their refiling in the 20th Congress?

Some House lawmakers probably think so, as disclosed by incoming Sen. Erwin Tulfo on Thursday.

“I think that the House will really refile it. That’s what I heard from my colleagues. They’ll refile it with the 20th Congress,” Tulfo said in an interview at the Senate.

“Before they said, once returned, they will refile it. I don’t know how they will do it in mechanics. I don’t understand. Let’s wait and see,” he told reporters.

“And then, we’ll see where do we go after that. I know that there’s a ban, one-year ban. I’m thinking, ‘what can that be?'” he wondered.

In returning the Articles of Impeachment to the House last June 10, the Senate impeachment court directed the lower chamber to certify that it did not violate the one-year ban on filing impeachment cases and that the incoming House of the 20th Congress will pursue the case against Duterte.

In response to the impeachment court’s order, the House adopted the following day a resolution certifying that their impeachment proceedings against Duterte had fully complied with the 1987 Constitution.

No formal communication, however, has been filed at the impeachment court as of this posting.

On whether or not the 20th Congress can pursue the impeachment trial of Duterte, Tulfo thinks it can proceed.

“Well, my stand here is that it should just be heard in Congress—so we can lay everything out for the public and clear up any doubts,” he said.

Besides, he recalled, even the vice president had publicly expressed her readiness to face the trial and answer the allegations hurled at her.

The impeachment complaint against Duterte stemmed from her alleged misuse of the confidential funds of her office and the Department of Education, which she previously headed; her alleged assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife Liza and House Speaker Martin Romualdez; and the alleged failure to disclose her assets and properties in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Tulfo did not join the 215 House lawmakers who impeached the vice president as he might sit as a senator-judge in the 20th Congress.

Immediately after impeaching Duterte, the House sent the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, but the latter was not able to act on it for lack of time.

It was only last June 10 that the Senate convened as an impeachment court. /apl