Speaker says Senate move to remand impeachment complaint concerning

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said the Senate’s decision to return the impeachment complaint against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio to the House of Representatives is “deeply concerning.”

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“I rise not in defiance but with resolve, guided by duty, grounded in principle,” he said in a closing speech at the House plenary on Wednesday night. “The decision of the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, to return the articles of impeachment is deeply concerning.”

“The House of Representatives acted not out of haste, but with deliberate care. We followed the law, we honored our mandated and above all, we stood for what the Filipino people deserve,” he added.

Senators on Tuesday night voted to return the impeachment complaint back to the House to clarify its constitutionality, asking the lower chamber to certify that they lawfully crafted the ouster charges against Ms. Duterte, who was impeached without a hearing.

A likely contender to be the next president, Ms. Duterte, 47, was impeached in February by the House of Representatives.