SC buries stillborn VP Sara impeach bid

SC buries stillborn VP Sara impeach bid | Daily Tribune

The Supreme Court has shut down the House of Representatives’ attempt to revive the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, issuing a final ruling that reinforces constitutional limits now looming over other impeachment efforts.

In a unanimous en banc resolution, the Court denied with finality the House motion for reconsideration and affirmed its 25 July 2025 decision declaring unconstitutional the Articles of Impeachment transmitted to the Senate on 5 February 2025.

Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting said the justices voted to uphold the earlier ruling that the impeachment violated the Constitution’s one-year bar under Article XI, Section 3(5).

Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa did not take part, while Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh was on leave.

The defense team of Vice President Duterte welcomed the ruling.

“We thank the Honorable Court for a ruling that now definitively lays down clear and authoritative guidance on the constitutional limits and proper treatment of impeachment proceedings,” they added.

The defense team said the matter is now closed. “We should then move on to address the nation’s other pressing concerns,” the lawyers said.

Precedent

House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III said the chamber recognizes the High Court’s ruling.

“Impeachment is a process clearly set by the Constitution and has specific standards. Care in the impeachment process is important — a responsibility that comes with the mandate entrusted to us by the Filipino people,” Dy said.

Legal observers said the ruling now serves as a procedural guide as the House justice committee moves to hear impeachment complaints filed this year against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., while Duterte’s critics have indicated they may refile a complaint once the one-year period lapses.

The Makabayan bloc, composed of ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Rep. Sarah Jane Elago and Kabataan Rep. Renee Louise Co, said the decision effectively disables the so-called fast-track mode of impeachment previously used by House leadership.

The group said the ruling makes future impeachment proceedings more difficult and limits the means to hold top officials accountable through a one-third House vote.

“Despite this adverse ruling, we believe that the issues raised in the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte — including her alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes — remain valid and must be addressed through the proper constitutional process,” the bloc said.

Rep. Leila de Lima said the ruling was based on technical grounds. “The Supreme Court’s ruling rests on technicality. It can be used in the next filing. It is still not a vindication. No name has been cleared,” she said.

‘Initiated’

The Court ruled that three earlier impeachment complaints filed in December 2024 were enough to trigger the one-year prohibition, even if they did not reach the Senate.

Those complaints, tied to the alleged misuse of confidential funds, were filed under the first mode of impeachment, which requires referral of a verified complaint to the House Committee on Justice.

The justices said the House failed to place the complaints in its Order of Business within the constitutionally required 10 session days, but clarified that “session days” mean calendar days when the chamber actually holds session, not merely scheduled legislative days.

Citing Gutierrez v. House of Representatives, the Court explained that impeachment is considered “initiated” for purposes of the one-year bar once key conditions occur, including referral of a verified complaint to committee, inaction within constitutional timelines, or failure to transmit Articles of Impeachment before Congress adjourns sine die.

Initiation, it stressed, must happen within the same term of Congress.

The ruling effectively blocked the fourth complaint, which had been endorsed by more than one-third of House members and elevated to the Senate.

Due process

Duterte’s camp had argued that the earlier complaints already constituted impeachment proceedings, making the later transmittal unconstitutional. The Court agreed.

While affirming the House’s power to set its own impeachment rules, the Court clarified that even complaints under the second mode — endorsed by at least one-third of lawmakers — may still be referred to the justice committee, but only to verify endorsements, check supporting evidence and consolidate complaints.

The justices also underscored that due process applies to impeachment, even if it follows a special constitutional design. Trial takes place in the Senate, not the House, but procedures must follow pre-existing rules and constitutional grounds.

The Court rejected the House argument that the operative fact doctrine could save the impeachment process, ruling that the doctrine cannot be invoked by a party responsible for an unconstitutional act.

The resolution is immediately executory, and the Court barred further pleadings.