The Supreme Court’s dismissal of petitions challenging the Senate Impeachment Court’s voting threshold interpretation allows the impeachment proceedings to move forward without further delays, keeping the focus on the evidence presented before the court as it prepares to reach a final decision, the House prosecution said on Wednesday.
House prosecutor Terry L. Ridon of the Bicol Saro Party-list said the dismissal provides clarity on the direction of the proceedings and allows the Senate impeachment court to perform its constitutional duty without additional legal challenges affecting the trial.
‘The direction is clear: let the Senate impeachment court do its duty and complete the process established by the Constitution. What matters now is that the trial continues until judgment-whether it results in conviction or acquittal,’ Ridon said.
The Supreme Court dismissed separate petitions filed by former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez and lawyer Ernesto Francisco Jr. questioning the impeachment court’s ruling on how the required two-thirds vote should be computed. The petitions were dismissed due to procedural deficiencies, including issues involving prematurity and legal standing.
Ridon said the prosecution has consistently maintained that the Senate Impeachment Court should be allowed to exercise its constitutional authority to hear and decide the case based on the evidence and arguments presented during the proceedings.
‘Instead of spending time on petitions that may hinder the progress of the trial, it is better to allow the process to move forward. The trial will continue, and the prosecution is ready to continue presenting our evidence,’ Ridon said.
He emphasized that the prosecution remains focused on completing the presentation of its case and leaving the final judgment to the senator-judges who will assess the evidence submitted before the impeachment court.
‘At the end of the process, the evidence should speak for itself. Let the trial be completed and allow the Senate impeachment court to decide based on the evidence before it,’ Ridon said.
House trial spokesperson Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur also welcomed the Supreme Court’s action, stating that the responsibility of the prosecution in an impeachment trial is to present evidence, examine witnesses, and establish the allegations contained in the Articles of Impeachment.
Adiong said the dismissal of the petitions allows the trial to proceed without interruption and keeps attention on the central purpose of the impeachment proceedings-the evaluation of evidence by the Senate impeachment court.
‘We welcome the ruling. It allows the trial to proceed without delay and keeps the focus where it belongs-on the evidence already before the Senate Impeachment Court,’ Adiong said.