THE Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) will represent the Senate in petitions filed before the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Francis Escudero confirmed Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Quezon City, Escudero said he had already referred to the OSG a petition from Duterte’s allies seeking the high court’s order to halt the Senate impeachment proceedings.
Duterte also filed a petition questioning the constitutionality of the impeachment complaint against her, while another petition for mandamus was submitted last week, urging the SC to compel the Senate to convene as an impeachment court immediately.
When asked whether the Senate would directly respond to the petition for mandamus, Escudero clarified that the chamber itself would not prepare a formal reply.
“Ni-refer namin ang bagay na ‘yan sa Solicitor General’s Office bilang abogado na tumatayo sa pamahalaan. SolGen ang sasagot, SolGen ang a-appear, SolGen ang magha-handle ng kaso para sa Senado (We referred that to the Solicitor General’s Office as the government’s lawyer. SolGen will answer, SolGen will appear, and SolGen will handle the case for the Senate),” he explained.
Escudero noted that while the Senate legal team had drafted an advisory for his review, it would only be forwarded to the OSG for their information and consideration.
He also confirmed that Davao City councilors had filed a separate petition, followed by Vice President Duterte’s own petition, for certiorari before the SC.
“Marahil providential na hindi kami natuloy sa trial dahil nag-recess kami, para lahat ng mga bagay na ito ay maidulog na sa Korte Suprema, (at) mapagpasyahan na ng Korte Suprema para wala nang pipigil o aantala pa sa trial ng Senado na mga ganitong uri ng teknikalidad o issue na maaaring i-bring up ng nasasakdal na si VP Sara. So may sapat na panahon ang Korte Suprema para resolbahan at sagutin ang lahat ng mga issue na ito bago pa man mag-convene ang impeachment court (Perhaps it was providential that we did not proceed with the trial because we took a recess, so all these matters could be brought to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court could decide so that nothing would stop or delay the trial using these technicalities or issues that defendant VP Sara might cite during the trial in the Senate. So, the Supreme Court has enough time to resolve and answer all these issues before the impeachment court even convenes),” he said.
Escudero reiterated that the Senate intends to continue fulfilling its constitutional mandate unless the SC issues a restraining order or a preliminary injunction. (PNA)
