MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday instructed the House of Representatives and its justice committee to comment on petitions seeking to halt the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, restraining order (TRO) on the proceedings.
House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III said the chamber “welcomes the Supreme Court’s non-issuance of a temporary restraining order. We have the highest respect for the Court and its processes, and we defer to its authority on matters properly brought before it. In the absence of any legal restraint, the House of Representatives will continue to discharge its constitutional mandate.”
The petitions, filed by lawyers Israelito Torreon, Vic Rodriguez, Rescie Angelli Rizada-Nolasco, Martin Delgra III, Wendel Avisado, James Patrick Bondoc, Raul Lambino, Luna Maria Acosta-Manlitoc, Jesus Hinlo Jr., and Dr. Richard Mata on March 27, asked the SC to halt the impeachment proceedings. Duterte filed a separate petition on March 30.
In her certiorari petition, Duterte argued that the House justice panel’s proceedings are unconstitutional and that it lacks the authority to conduct a trial. “It is evident that the proceedings before the respondent committee are, in truth and substance, a trial in disguise. Its members’ use of various nomenclatures such as a ‘mini-trial,’ a ‘hearing proper,’ or a ‘process akin to a preliminary investigation’ does not change its true nature,” the petition read.
Duterte claimed allowing the committee to conduct a trial would permit it to “circumvent the limits of their function and usurp the prerogatives of the impeachment court solely vested in the Senate.” She also questioned the panel’s prior findings on the sufficiency of the Saballa and Cabrera complaints and described the proceedings as a “fishing expedition” to shore up allegedly inadequate complaints.
The Vice President’s camp further argued that the proceedings lacked due process, noting that procedural due process requires more than mere notice but a “genuine and meaningful opportunity to be heard.” They emphasized that the impeachment complaints do not allege “ultimate facts” but only legal conclusions or evidentiary matters. Duterte also requested a final injunction nullifying and setting aside the impeachment proceedings related to the Saballa and Cabrera complaints and enjoining both the House and Senate from acting on them.
In response, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, a member of the House justice panel, said Duterte’s petition “is anchored on a misrepresentation of facts and a distorted interpretation of the Constitution and prevailing jurisprudence.”
The Supreme Court’s directive now sets a 10-day window for the House and its justice committee to submit their comments on the consolidated petitions, after which the high court will decide on the next steps.
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