IPINANGAKO ni Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez na ipaglalaban ng Kamara de Representantes ang tungkulin nito sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon, matapos na ideklarang unconstitutional ng Korte Suprema ang inihain nitong impeachment complaint laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte.

“We speak now not because it is easy, but because it is necessary,” ani Speaker Romualdez. “The House will not bow in silence.”

Muling pinagtibay ni Speaker Romualdez ang natatanging konstitusyonal na mandato ng Kamara na magsimula ng mga kasong impeachment, kasabay ng paghahain ng motion for reconsideration ng kapulungan upang hilinging muling pag-aralan at itama ng Korte Suprema ang desisyon nito sa kaso ni VP Duterte.

“This is not an act of defiance. It is an act of duty,” iginiit niya.

“With full respect for the Constitution, in defense of institutional balance, and in the name of the Filipino people, the House of Representatives has filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Supreme Court,” dagdag pa niya.

“We do not challenge the authority of the Court. We seek only to preserve the rightful role of the House—the voice of the people—in the process of accountability,” ayon kay Speaker Romualdez.

Binigyang-diin niya na ang paghahain ng apela ay upang itama ang maling pagbasa sa mga katotohanan at mga pahirap na patakarang ibinase ng Korte Suprema sa nakaraan, na aniya’y sumisira sa Konstitusyon at sa karapatan ng taumbayan na maningil ng pananagutan mula sa matataas na opisyal.

“Let us be clear: The Constitution says: ‘The House of Representatives shall have the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment.’ That power is not shared. Not subject to pre-approval. And not conditional,” giit ni Speaker Romualdez.

“Yet in G.R. No. 278353, the Supreme Court ruled otherwise, based on a misreading of facts and a retroactive imposition of new rules,” patuloy niya.

Binigyang-linaw niya na ang layunin ng apela ay hindi upang hamunin ang ibang institusyon, kundi upang mapigilan ang pagguho ng karapatan ng taumbayan na maningil ng pananagutan.

Iginiit ni Speaker Romualdez na kumilos ang Kamara alinsunod sa itinakdang panahong 10 session days ng Konstitusyon nang ipinadala nito sa Senado ang ikaapat na reklamo ng impeachment noong Pebrero 5, 2025.

“On February 5, 2025, the House transmitted the fourth impeachment complaint—filed and signed by 215 Members—to the Senate. Only after this transmittal did we archive the earlier three complaints. That sequence matters. It proves there was only one valid initiation, not four,” paliwanag niya.

“Even the Court’s own precedent—Francisco v. House—supports this: Only one impeachment can be initiated, and that initiation begins with a one-third endorsement or a referral. That is exactly what the House did,” dagdag pa niya.

Ang reklamo ay maayos na napatotohanan at inendorso ng mahigit isang-katlong bahagi ng mga miyembro ng Kamara, kaya ito lamang ang naging batayan para sa paglilitis.

Tinalakay rin ni Speaker Romualdez ang isyu ng due process na binanggit ng Korte Suprema, na nagsabing hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataon si VP Duterte na makasagot.

“The Court also said the Vice President was denied due process because she was not furnished a copy or given a chance to respond,” aniya. “But nowhere in the Constitution is that required before transmittal. In fact, in all past impeachments, the trial and the right to be heard take place in the Senate.”

Sinabi ni Speaker Romualdez na maaaring gumagawa ang SC ng mga bagong patakaran na may retroactive effect na hindi ayon sa Konstitusyon.

“To invent new rules now, and apply them retroactively, is not just unfair. It is constitutionally suspect,” giit niya.

“Let me say this with candor: A government of laws cannot allow any branch to become the judge of its own accountability,” dagdag pa niya.

Binigyang-diin ni Speaker Romualdez na walang sangay ng pamahalaan ang dapat magtakda ng hangganan ng sarili nitong pananagutan, lalo na kung ang mismong usapin ay tumutukoy sa proseso kung paano sila maaaring panagutin ng taumbayan.

“The Supreme Court is a co-equal branch of government. Its wisdom is deep. Its authority is real. But its Members—like the President and the Vice President—are also impeachable officers,” aniya.

“When the Court lays down rules for how it, or others like it, may be impeached, it puts itself in the dangerous position of writing conditions that may shield itself from future accountability,” patuloy niya. “That is not how checks and balances work.”

Ipinaliwanag ni Speaker Romualdez na ang paghahain ng motion for reconsideration ay hindi dulot ng tunggalian sa pagitan ng mga institusyon, kundi ng pangangailangang linawin ang mga katotohanan at ipagtanggol ang konstitusyonal na proseso.

Binigyang-diin din niya na ang usapin ay hindi lamang legal kundi tungkol sa pundasyon ng pananagutan sa isang demokratikong sistema.

“We filed this Motion for Reconsideration not to provoke, but to protect. Not to assert supremacy, but to restore balance,” aniya.

“Because if impeachments can be blocked by misunderstood facts, or rules made after the fact, then accountability is not upheld: it is denied,” dagdag pa niya.

Para kay Speaker Romualdez, ang paninindigan sa mandato ng Kamara ay hindi banta sa demokrasya kundi pagtatanggol dito.

“To dissent is not to defy. To demand accountability is not to destabilize. To insist on constitutional integrity is not to weaken democracy, it is to strengthen it,” pahayag niya.