The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 81 dismissed the petition of Atty. Mans Carpio to halt the impeachment proceedings against his wife Vice President Sara Duterte, noting that it had no jurisdiction over the House of Representatives.
Under the order issued on 6 May, presiding Judge Madonna Echiverri asserted that the proceedings undertaken by the Justice panel were simply an exercise of its “exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment” as prescribed in the 1987 Constitution.
As part of this power, the court stated that the committee was also granted the ability to subpoena documents related to the allegations that were indicated in the complaints that were submitted to Congress.
Given that the respondents to the case were merely carrying out the powers under the Constitution, the court said that it could not cease the process.
“Respondents do not usurp but are in fact, as members of the HCOJ are, by law, constituted to determine the sufficiency of the impeachment complaint against the Vice-President and eventually the determination of probable cause for the filing of the case to the Senate,” the order read.
The court also dissuaded with the argument of Carpio that the Justice panel had no jurisdiction to investigate documents supposedly connected to him and his wife off the basis of law.
It further maintained that evidence such as news articles or YouTube videos concerning the hearings undertaken by the committee amount to “hearsay evidence” and does not necessarily demonstrate any substantial value.
The ruling also prescribed for such requests to be referred to the Supreme Court as the House Committee on Justice is considered a co-equal branch of the Regional Trial Court under law.
On Monday, 4 May, the Justice panel had officially approved its committee report, resolution, and Articles of Impeachment in a unanimous turnout from all members present during the hearing.
Subsequently, all lawmakers were furnished with copies of the documents in preparation for the expected voting on the matter on 11 May.