Vice President Sara Duterte said she was not consulted by lawyers allied with her who filed a petition before the Supreme Court of the Philippines questioning the impeachment process against her.

In an interview, Duterte clarified that she had left the matter to legal experts and was not directly involved in the decision.

“Hindi sila nag-consult sa akin, no, kasi hindi ko na giniisip impeachment sa panahon na ’yun. Iniwan ko na ’yan lahat sa mga abogado,” she said.

The Vice President expressed gratitude to lawyers—including those not part of her formal defense team—who took the initiative to raise constitutional concerns over the impeachment process.

“Syempre, nakapasalamat ako sa mga lawyers, independent lawyers na hindi kasama sa defense team na nag-iisip pa rin na ipaglaban ang ating Saligang Batas at kontrahin ang pag-abuso ng proseso ng impeachment,” she added.

The petition, filed on March 27, seeks to declare the impeachment proceedings unconstitutional.

Lawyer Israelito Torreon, who previously served as Duterte’s counsel, said he and nine other petitioners filed the case in their capacity as citizens and taxpayers, noting they are not part of the Vice President’s legal team in the impeachment proceedings.

In a 186-page petition, they alleged that the House justice panel committed “grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction.”

“The Constitution grants the House the sole power to initiate impeachment, but that power is not absolute,” the petition read.

“It is bounded by law, by due process, by the Committee’s duty to dismiss complaints that fail the required threshold tests, and by prohibition against converting impeachment initiation into a roving inquiry designed to build, rather than merely evaluate, a case,” it added.

Despite the legal challenge, Duterte said the impeachment issue is not her immediate concern, stressing that her focus remains on public service.

“Hindi ko muna iniisip… hindi ’yan ang priority ng iniisip ko ngayon,” she said.

She added that government officials should prioritize addressing the needs of the public.

“Kaharapin natin ang ating mga kababayan… nananawagan pa rin sila ng tulong at serbisyo galing sa ating pamahalaan,” Duterte said.

The Supreme Court has yet to issue a ruling on the petition.