The Supreme Court of the Philippines has directed the House of Representatives to respond within 10 days to consolidated petitions filed by Vice President Sara Duterte, but did not act on her request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the impeachment proceedings.
In a statement released Wednesday, the High Court said it consolidated multiple petitions—including those filed by Duterte and several lawyers—questioning the legality of the ongoing House proceedings.
“The SC consolidated these cases and, without necessarily giving due course to the petitions, directed respondents to comment within a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of notice,” it said.
Duterte earlier filed a petition dated March 30 seeking to stop the impeachment process initiated against her this year.
“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 petitioners’ constitutional rights to due process, presumption of innocence, and equal protection of the laws,” her petition stated.
Duterte-allied lawyers also sought the issuance of a TRO on March 27 to suspend the proceedings.
Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon criticized the legal move, calling it a “misrepresentation of facts and a distorted interpretation of the Constitution,” and said it was intended to “mislead” public perception of the inquiry.
Meanwhile, former Supreme Court justice Adolfo Azcuna warned the House against possible overreach, cautioning that the impeachment proceedings risk turning into a “teleserye.”
“The drama now, it seems to me, is being focused in the committee and perhaps the attempt… because they may feel that they don't have the votes in the Senate, they have the votes in the committee,” Azcuna said.
“They might try to expose all their evidence in the committee already because the objective is not really to convict… but to expose the Vice President,” he added.
The Supreme Court had previously barred Duterte’s impeachment last year, ruling that it violated the Constitution’s one-year bar rule and failed to uphold due process.
The High Court has yet to issue a ruling on the latest petitions challenging the ongoing impeachment proceedings.