SC to House, Senate on VP Duterte impeachment complaint: 10 days to reply
Inquirer file photo
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives, its Secretary General Reginald Velasco, and the Senate has been directed by the Supreme Court to respond to Vice President Sara Duterte’s petition to stop the impeachment case pending against her in the upper chamber.
The high tribunal gave the respondents a nonextendible period of 10 days from notice to comment on Duterte’s petition, docketed as G.R. No. 278353, said Camille Ting, Supreme Court spokesperson.
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Ting clarified that the high court was still assessing whether to consolidate the petition of Duterte for a temporary restraining order (TRO) with another case filed by Mindanao lawyers seeking to stop senators from proceeding with the impeachment trial.
In her petition, Duterte asked the Supreme Court to nullify the fourth impeachment complaint against her, arguing that it violates Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution, which states that no impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a year.
She claimed that the House of Representatives “deliberately circumvented” this provision when it directed Velasco to allegedly “give [lawmakers] more time” to file the fourth impeachment complaint although three separate complaints had been filed before: on Dec. 2, Dec. 4, and Dec. 19 last year.
A total of 215 lawmakers voted to impeach Duterte when they endorsed the fourth complaint on Feb. 5, expediting the process and transmitting the case to the Senate for trial.
Duterte is accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust in connection with her alleged misuse of confidential funds and her death threat against President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.
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