VP Sara’s camp submits comment opposing House plea to revive impeachment case

The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte has submitted a comment regarding the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives before the Supreme Court (SC), asking the High Court to reverse its ruling junking the impeachment complaint.

Lawyer Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s legal team, confirmed this to reporters covering the Office of the Vice President in a Viber message on Tuesday.

Poa said the defense team’s comment or opposition was filed before the SC on Monday afternoon.

“We confirm that we have formally filed our comment/opposition to the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives before the Honorable Supreme Court,” Poa said in a statement.

“In deference to the sub judice rule and out of respect for the judicial process, we will not be granting media interviews or issuing further statements at this time,” he added.

Poa also apologized to the media, saying they cannot provide copies of the defense’s comment or opposition out of respect for the court.

Earlier, the High Court declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, citing the one-year rule under the Constitution.

It can be recalled that three impeachment complaints were filed against the Vice President in December 2024, all connected with the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

A fourth impeachment complaint, endorsed by over one-third of lawmakers from the House of Representatives, was later transmitted to the Senate as the articles of impeachment.

On 5 February, the House impeached Duterte, with the majority of lawmakers voting to adopt the articles of impeachment against her.

Duterte stands accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes over, among other things, the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she had concurrently headed.