Manila, July 2 -- House Prosecution panel spokesperson and impeachment trial adviser Robert Ace Barbers on Thursday said the impending filing of a plunder case and the reported issuance of a warrant of arrest against Senator Rodante Marcoleta are entirely separate from the scheduled Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a news release, Barbers dismissed claims that the case against Marcoleta was part of a coordinated effort to prevent the senator from participating in the impeachment proceedings.

The former Surigao del Norte lawmaker emphasized that the legal issues confronting the senator stem from matters that are independent of the impeachment case.

According to Barbers, the Office of the Ombudsman has made it...