Manila: The Senate Impeachment Court has communicated to the Supreme Court (SC) that it does not possess access to the detailed records of the impeachment proceedings initiated in the House of Representatives against Vice President Sara Duterte. This has resulted in the Senate's inability to comply with the SC's July 8 en banc resolution that requested information regarding the matter.

According to Philippines News Agency, a manifestation ad cautelam was filed by the Office of the Senate Legal Counsel on July 15, and a copy was provided to the media. The Senate stated that it lacks sufficient knowledge or access to items listed in the Court's directive, which require specific dates, processes, and supporting documents about the endorsement and transmission of the Articles of Impeachment to the upper chamber.

The manifestation was filed in compliance with the SC resolution consolidating General Register (GR) 278353 (Sara Z. Duterte v. House of Representatives and Senate) and GR 278359 (Militar, et al. v. House of Representatives and Senate). This resolution gave the respondents a non-extendible 10-day deadline to respond.

'Respondent Senate manifests that it lacks sufficient knowledge or information on the matters stated under items (a) to (k) of the said Resolution, and thus, is not in a position to respond to the Honorable Court's directive,' the Senate said.

The Senate clarified that much of the information requested by the High Court, particularly those relating to the filing, endorsement, and transmittal of the impeachment complaints, has been sought by the Senate sitting as an Impeachment Court in its Order dated June 11.

The order, approved by an 18-5 vote, directed the House to certify whether the complaints complied with the constitutional one-year bar rule and whether the current Congress intends to pursue the impeachment trial.

The Supreme Court's July 8 resolution asked for specific information such as the date and status of the first three complaints filed by private citizens; whether these complaints were properly endorsed and timely transmitted; who prepared the Articles of Impeachment; and whether all House members received, reviewed, and voted on the charges and evidence.

The Senate noted that these are internal matters within the jurisdiction of the House and that only the Speaker's Office or the Secretary General of the House would be in a position to respond.

'The Senate's filing reflects its commitment to cooperation and respect for judicial processes, while also observing the proper institutional roles set by our Constitution,' lawyer Regie Tongol, Senate Impeachment Court spokesperson, said in a statement.

In its prayer, the Senate asked the Court to note and approve its manifestation as sufficient compliance with the Resolution.

The manifestation was signed by Maria Valentina S. Santana-Cruz, Senate Legal Counsel, and furnished to all parties, including the Office of the Solicitor General, the House leadership, and counsels for the petitioners.