Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said it would be “best” for the Senate to have a duly elected president before proceeding with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte in July, warning of possible constitutional issues if the process moves forward under an acting leader.
Luistro, a member of the House prosecution panel, stressed that while the House recognizes Acting Senate President Win Gatchalian, concerns remain over the sensitivity of impeachment proceedings.
“For the record, the House of Representatives already recognizes the leadership of Acting Senate President Sen. Win Gatchalian,” Luistro said.
“As a matter of fact, we already articulated that we will be appearing before the impeachment court initiated by Acting Senate President Win Gatchalian, who is currently signing notices in his capacity as presiding officer.”
She described her remarks as an “expression of apprehension,” citing the need to avoid legal complications.
“I express that concern because I understand that impeachment is a very sensitive matter,” Luistro said, referring to issues encountered during a previous impeachment proceeding in the 19th Congress.
She added that the House strictly complied with constitutional requirements in filing and transmitting the complaint to the Senate.
Luistro said the House would respect the Senate’s prerogative in electing its leader, whether Gatchalian or another senator.
“It is my concern that I hope there will already be a duly elected Senate president. If it is Acting Senate President Win Gatchalian, we will welcome that. If it will be someone else, we will also welcome that because that is the judgment and prerogative of the members of the Senate,” she said.
She warned that starting the trial without a formally elected Senate president could expose the proceedings to challenges before the Supreme Court.
“The reason is we are apprehensive that we might encounter another constitutional issue because we will be starting the trial and there is no duly elected Senate president,” Luistro said.
Despite this, Luistro said the House prosecution panel would comply with the impeachment court under the current leadership.
“If there are notices for hearings, we will appear,” she said. “That is just an expression of our apprehension that there should be a duly elected Senate president before we proceed to trial.”
