Lawyers seek to stop VP Sara Duterte impeachment hearings
A group of prominent lawyers has filed a petition with the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte in the House of Representatives. This legal maneuver aims to halt the hearings, adding another layer of complexity to the political landscape.
On March 27, 2026, lawyers linked to Vice President Sara Duterte petitioned the Supreme Court to halt ongoing impeachment hearings by the House Committee on Justice, alleging serious constitutional violations. The petition, filed by Atty. Israelito Torreon and others as taxpayers, seeks a temporary restraining order, claiming the committee failed due process, dismissed threshold tests for complaints, and turned the process into a 'roving inquiry' to build a case rather than evaluate it. This legal maneuver comes despite the Supreme Court's prior ruling on July 25, 2025, which declared the impeachment complaint unconstitutional and imposed a one-year bar until February 6, 2026, preventing a Senate trial.
The impeachment saga began in December 2024 when four impeachment complaints were formally filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, alleging graft, corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, involvement in extrajudicial killings, and failure to oppose China's claims in the West Philippine Sea. The House approved the measure on February 5, 2025, sending it to the Senate, which remanded it back on June 10, 2025. The Supreme Court's July 2025 ruling was reaffirmed in January 2026 when the Court denied a House appeal, with some lawmakers accepting the decision while indicating readiness for new complaints after the February 6, 2026 deadline.
Despite the Supreme Court's rulings, the House Committee on Justice declared complaints sufficient on March 18, 2026, and began formal hearings on March 25, 2026. Duterte and her lawyers skipped the first hearing, calling it politically motivated, while her defense team held a press conference discussing potential further Supreme Court action. House Vice Chairperson Bel Zamora defended the process, stating it follows the Supreme Court's directive that impeachment starts with the Justice Committee and adheres to chamber rules, noting the irony that Duterte's camp had pushed similar processes previously.
The latest petition represents another chapter in the ongoing legal battle, with earlier petitions including a February 14, 2025 mandamus by Lawyer Catalino Generillo Jr. for immediate Senate trial, a February 18 certiorari by Mindanao lawyers for a restraining order, and Duterte's own petition challenging the complaint. The House awaits Duterte's reply ahead of further hearings, amid claims she questions limits on her choice of lawyers. The political landscape remains complex as constitutional questions about impeachment procedures continue to unfold in the Philippine judicial system.
Join the discussion
What do you think? Drop your thoughts below.