SC petitioned to halt Duterte impeachment proceedings

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyers allied with Vice President Sara Duterte have filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition with a prayer for a writ of preliminary injunction before the Supreme Court on Friday, seeking to stop the ongoing impeachment proceedings against her at the House of Representatives. The petition challenges the actions of the House Committee on Justice. During a press briefing, lawyer Israelito Torreon said the petition did not seek to shield the Vice President from accountability but aimed to ensure the impeachment process remained constitutional. “Impeachment is a grave constitutional process. It is not a political free-for-all,” he said. The petitioners argued that the House committee overstepped its constitutional gatekeeping role by allowing defective complaints against Duterte to proceed and conducting subpoena-driven evidentiary proceedings that resemble a trial. The petition highlights six main points of concern: - The committee allegedly applied a double standard, dismissing earlier impeachment complaints for insufficient evidence while allowing similar deficiencies in the Duterte-Carpio complaints. - The third and fourth complaints were characterized as repackaged, conclusory, and duplicative, undermining the intended threshold review. - Subpoenas for documents, affidavits, and other evidence were issued before establishing the sufficiency of the complaints, effectively turning preliminary review into a “fishing expedition.” - The petition contends that due process is compromised when complaints are allowed to survive first and then expanded through external evidence. - Threshold review, the lawyers argued, could not be bypassed or converted into a full evidentiary process. - The complaint process, they said, should require clear linking of alleged offenses to the respondent, rather than relying on hearsay, vague allegations, or institutional controversies. Torreon stressed that the petition was a constitutional limits case, not a question of guilt or innocence. “We are asking the court to decide whether the House Committee on Justice may keep preliminary complaints alive by relaxing rules and using subpoenas to substantiate claims,” he said. The filing comes as the committee continues to request financial records, statements of assets, and other documents tied to Duterte, while summoning witnesses related to alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds. The impeachment complaints accuse Duterte of misusing government funds, accumulating wealth beyond her income, and plotting against senior officials—allegations she has repeatedly denied. The legal challenge raises fresh questions over procedural boundaries as the House moves closer to potentially endorsing the complaints to the full chamber, where at least 106 lawmakers must vote in favor for the case to proceed to the Senate.

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