VP Sara’s defense welcome Supreme Court ruling that blocks impeachment
Credit to Author: Cristina Chi| Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2025 17:15:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte's lawyers welcomed on Friday, July 25, the Supreme Court's unanimous decision to declare her impeachment unconstitutional, calling the ruling proof that the impeachment proceedings against her were "constitutionally infirm" from the start.
In a statement, Michael Poa, the spokesperson of Duterte's defense team, said they welcomed the high court's ruling that the articles of impeachment violated the Constitution's one-year bar on impeachment proceedings against the same official.
SC spokesperson Camille Ting announced the decision in a press conference on Friday — just two days before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fourth State of the Nation Address. A full copy has yet to be made available on the court's website.
Duterte's lawyers said the decision "affirms what we had maintained from the outset." They also praised the court for upholding "the rule of law and reinforced the constitutional limits against abuse of the impeachment process."
The Supreme Court specifically ruled that the fourth impeachment complaint filed against Duterte fell within a prohibited one-year period following three earlier complaints that were effectively dismissed when the House of Representatives adjourned in February.
The decision effectively blocks the Senate from trying Duterte on charges including betrayal of public trust, but allows new complaints to be filed starting Feb. 6, 2026.
Duterte's lawyers said they "remain prepared to address the allegations at the proper time and before the appropriate forum."
Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen wrote the unanimous decision explaining why the Supreme Court found that the fourth impeachment complaint was filed too soon.
Three initial complaints were filed by private individuals and groups on December 2, 4, and 19, 2024, but the House never acted on them during the session.
Those complaints were "archived and therefore deemed terminated or dismissed" when the House adjourned on Feb. 5, 2025, the court found. On the same day, more than one-third of House members approved a fourth complaint through a resolution and transmitted it to the Senate as the articles of impeachment.
The court ruled that under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution, the one-year bar begins "from the time an impeachment complaint is dismissed or no longer viable." Since the first three complaints were dismissed on February 5, 2025, no new impeachment proceedings can begin until Feb. 6, 2026.
The decision emphasized that the court "is not absolving Duterte from any of the charges against her," but that any subsequent complaint must wait until the constitutional period expires, according to a press release by the SC spokesperson.
Beyond the timing issue, the Supreme Court decision specifically spelled out the due process requirements for impeachment proceedings. The court ruled that "the Bill of Rights, especially the due process clause and the right to speedy disposition of cases, applies to the entire impeachment process."
The decision laid out seven specific due process requirements, including that accused officials must be given evidence and "a chance to be heard on the Articles of Impeachment and the supporting evidence to prove the charges prior to its transmittal to the Senate."
The court also required that all House members, not just those considering endorsement, have access to impeachment articles and supporting evidence.
Leonen wrote that impeachment "is primarily a legal and constitutional procedure but with political characteristics" and stressed that "it is not a purely political proceeding."
What is Duterte accused of? The articles of impeachment outlined seven charges citing culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes, including bribery and conspiracy to commit murder.
The most explosive allegation involved Duterte's November 2024 remarks during a virtual press conference that she had contracted an assassin to kill the president if she were assassinated.
The complaint also accused Duterte of misusing P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds from her offices as vice president and education secretary.