House to respect SC ruling voiding Sara Duterte's impeachment but...
MANILA, Philippines — Just as the storms have flooded the country and left thousands displaced, the Supreme Court en banc decided to declare Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment unconstitutional.
While the House of Representatives respects the high court’s ruling on Duterte’s petition, spokesperson Princess Abante said on Friday, July 25, that its “constitutional duty to uphold truth and accountability does not end here.”
The lower chamber has yet to receive the official copy of the Supreme Court’s decision to conduct a thorough review, but while it waits, Abante underscores how the impeachment is not merely a legal mechanism but a “democratic safeguard.”
Citing Section 3, Article 11 of the 1987 Constitution, she stressed that the House should have the “exclusive power to initiate impeachment.” It was reiterated in a 2003 Supreme Court ruling on the filing of multiple impeachment complaints.
For the judiciary to intervene in the impeachment’s initiation, she said, “risks undermining the very principle of checks and balances.”
“Impeachment is a political act rooted in the people’s will — no legal technicality should silence it,” Abante added.
And though the impeachment may be perceived by some as an attack against one person, the House spokesperson emphasized that impeachment against erring public officials is the people’s fight for accountability.
“Hindi lang ito laban sa isang opisyal. Ito ay laban para sa karapatan ng taumbayan na maningil ng pananagutan sa gobyerno,” she said.
(This is not just a fight against one official. This is a fight for the people's right to demand accountability from the government.)
Philstar.com reached out to the prosecution panel’s spokesperson, Antonio Bucoy, but was told they would have to receive a copy of the decision before issuing a comment.
According to Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting, the House of Representatives may still file a motion for reconsideration.
While the House has not expressed any intention yet, Abante said that it will “exhaust all remedies to protect the independence of Congress.”
“This is not defiance. This is constitutional fidelity,” she added, stressing that accountability should not be optional.
The high court ruled in favor of Duterte on her petition to nullify the impeachment done against her.
It reasoned that the House violated the one-year bar rule after it archived the first three impeachment complaints filed and endorsed a fourth impeachment by at least one-third.
The constitutional rule bars initiating more than one impeachment proceeding against the same public official.
The House received three impeachment complaints, all filed by civil society groups. However, the complaints were not immediately referred to the Committee on Justice, despite being included in the Order of Business within 10 session days.
Instead, the House opted to impeach Duterte by filing a fourth impeachment complaint endorsed by 215 members.
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