Senate Seeks Supreme Court Answers on Impeachment Case
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has formally informed the Supreme Court that it is seeking the same details regarding the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. This move follows a July 8, 2025, order from the Supreme Court requesting further information about the proceedings.
The Senate’s message emphasized that it is also pressing for clarity on key points related to the impeachment process. These questions concern the status of earlier complaints, timelines, and procedural matters, which the Supreme Court outlined in its recent resolution.
Supreme Court’s Detailed Information Request
The Supreme Court’s July 8 resolution asked the Senate to clarify several issues, including:
- The current status of the initial three complaints filed.
- The exact filing dates of complaints endorsed by House members and private citizens.
- Whether the House secretary-general has discretion to forward complaints endorsed by a member.
- If the secretary-general can refuse an impeachment complaint filed by a private citizen.
- The number of session days from endorsement to transmittal to the House Speaker and inclusion in the order of business.
- Which officer or committee drafted the Articles of Impeachment and when this was completed.
- When the Articles were circulated to Senate members after House transmission.
- Whether the Articles were accompanied by evidence.
- If the Vice President was given a chance to respond to the charges.
- Whether House members had time to review the charges before signing.
- When the Articles were included in the House order of business for plenary consideration.
Senate’s Response Highlights Shared Inquiries
The Senate pointed out that the first five questions overlap with inquiries it has already directed to the House of Representatives, which is acting as the Impeachment Court. For the remaining items, the Senate noted that only the House or its Secretary-General holds the necessary information to respond.
In its manifestation, the Senate urged the Supreme Court to treat this as compliance with the July 8 resolution.
Pending Petitions and Vice President Duterte’s Challenge
Meanwhile, several petitions related to the Vice President’s impeachment case remain pending before the Supreme Court. One such petition was filed by lawyer Israelito Torren and colleagues, adding to the legal scrutiny surrounding the case.
Vice President Sara Duterte herself filed a separate petition on February 19, seeking to declare the fourth impeachment complaint against her unconstitutional. She argued that the complaint violated the “One-Year Bar” rule under the Constitution, which prohibits initiating impeachment proceedings against the same official more than once within a year.
Duterte’s petition also requested a temporary restraining order (TRO) or preliminary injunction to halt Senate impeachment proceedings, which she described as “politically-motivated.” She emphasized that the TRO is necessary to protect her constitutional rights under Article XI, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution.
In February, the Supreme Court directed both the House and Senate to comment on Duterte’s petition. However, the petition remains unresolved, along with two other related cases filed by a high school teacher and a former government counsel.
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