MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero has called on the House of Representatives to follow the directives of the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, following Speaker Martin Romualdez’s concerns about the return of the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a media interview on Thursday, Escudero made it clear that the impeachment court’s authority must be upheld by all parties involved — including both the House prosecutors and the Vice President.

“That is the decision of the impeachment court. As prosecutors, they should respect and follow that. The same goes for Vice President Sara; she should respect and follow the summons issued by the impeachment court,” Escudero said.

Escudero emphasized that the House has no jurisdiction to oppose the court’s rulings once the Senate formally convenes to handle an impeachment case. “The House is in no place to defy the orders of the impeachment court. This is not a bicam where we need to agree. This is the order of the impeachment court directed to the prosecutor, who is only a party to the case. The party and the Court are not equal,” he pointed out.

The Senate convened as an impeachment court on June 10 — a day earlier than originally scheduled — to deliberate on Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s motion to dismiss the impeachment case. However, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano introduced an amendment, suggesting the articles be returned to the House of Representatives instead.

Cayetano’s motion did not seek to dismiss the case outright but instead placed conditions on further proceedings. It asked the House to:

Certify that the filing does not breach Article XI, Section 3, Paragraph 5 of the Constitution, which bars multiple impeachment proceedings against the same official within one year;

Notify the Senate that it is prepared and committed to prosecute the impeachment complaint.

The Senate’s move to return the documents has triggered concerns from the House, raising questions over jurisdiction and procedure in the ongoing impeachment saga involving the Vice President.