Vice President Sara Duterte has asked the Supreme Court to nullify the impeachment proceedings against her and immediately stop the House of Representatives from moving forward, escalating the dispute into a constitutional battle between branches of government.
In a 58-page petition for certiorari and prohibition, Duterte argued that the entire impeachment process is unconstitutional and should be declared void from the outset, citing what she described as grave abuse of discretion by the House and its committee on justice.
Central to her petition is a request for a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary injunction to halt the proceedings, as well as a final ruling that would permanently bar Congress from acting on the complaints against her.
Duterte questioned the legality of how the complaints were handled, arguing that the House did not act as a plenary body when the cases were referred to the justice committee, but instead coursed through the Committee on Rules—an act she said violates the Constitution.
She also raised the one-year bar rule, claiming that two of the complaints filed against her should have been dismissed outright for being filed within the prohibited period.
The vice president further accused the House justice panel of overstepping its mandate and effectively assuming powers reserved for the Senate, particularly after its proceedings were described as a “mini-trial.”
“The proceedings conducted by respondent Committee on Justice remarkably show grave abuse of discretion and reek of double standards in the treatment of impeachment complaints referred to it, and evince a clear fishing expedition, resulting in the violation of petitioner’s constitutional rights to due process, presumption of innocence, and equal protection of the laws,” her petition read.
Duterte also alleged unequal treatment, pointing to supposed “double standards” in how impeachment complaints against her were handled compared to those involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Beyond stopping the proceedings, she asked the high court to strike down provisions of the House’s impeachment rules and the committee’s guidelines, and to issue a final injunction that would invalidate the cases and prevent any further congressional action.
