Acidre’s remarks came after Duterte, in an ambush interview on Tuesday, said that her lawyers are confident that she will win her impeachment trial before the Senate — and be acquitted of the impeachment charges pressed by the House. The articles of impeachment were immediately transmitted to the Senate, as the 1987 Constitution requires a trial to start forthwith if at least one-thirds of all House members — in this case, 102 out of 306 — have signed and endorsed the petition. Trial however has yet to start as the articles of impeachment were not forwarded to the Senate plenary before session ended on February 5 — which means that Congress would have to reconvene first after the election season, or through a special session to discuss the matter. Duterte’s impeachment was largely brought about by the House committee hearings, where allegations of CF misuse within the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education were revealed. READ: House probe: OVP, DepEd CFs received by same man, different signatures Acidre said that while Duterte has the right to defend herself, the burden to disprove the findings of the House committee now rests on her. Read Full Story
