The House of Representatives will maintain the “fast track” procedure for impeachment, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor confirmed, following the Supreme Court’s (SC) dismissal of the motion for reconsideration in the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte filed during the 19th Congress.

Under the “fast track mode,” the House can immediately transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate once one-third of its members approve, allowing for a swift legislative process. Defensor, who chairs the Committee Rewriting the House Rules, emphasized that this procedure is enshrined in the Constitution and cannot be removed or overridden by the judiciary.

He warned that any attempt by the SC to alter this process would constitute “encroachment” on the legislative prerogative of the House. According to Defensor, the Constitution explicitly mandates that endorsed articles of impeachment be transmitted to the Senate “forthwith” once the one-third vote threshold is met.

Defensor explained that the fast-track mechanism ensures that impeachment proceedings proceed efficiently while respecting the separation of powers between the legislature and the judiciary.