The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte and her supporters have every reason to glee on the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) unanimously ruling that the impeachment complaint against her was unconstitutional due to a one-year bar on filing multiple complaints against an impeachable official.
But the celebration could be short live since the Lower House, which is still composed of the majority legislators under the refreshed leadership of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, could still file another impeachment complaint against the vice president one year before the next national elections, which will be in May 2028.
The ruling of the SC effectively stopped the impeachment proceedings against the vice president even with the filing of the motion for reconsideration at the SC by the congressmen, who sponsored the impeachment complaint against the vice president.
Also, Senate President Chiz Escudero already declared to scrap the impeachment proceedings against the vice president. Speaking in a press briefing Escudero said: “the Supreme Court’s ruling is final and immediately executory,” Escudero said. “Whether we like the Supreme Court’s decision or not, we might be called a banana republic (if we do not follow it).”
Let us not overlook the fact that SC’s decision declaring unconstitutional the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte does not erase the charges of corruption or wrongdoing. It only showed that the impeachment complaint filed against her was deemed invalid due to procedural lapses.
As I have said in my previous column that the dismissal of the impeachment complaint would not in any way clear the vice president of the accusations of malversation of public funds that amounts to corruption. An acquittal after trial would have truly cleared VP Sara of the alleged wrongdoings. Although the vice president is entitled to the presumption of innocence, such remains a presumption until it’s overcome by overwhelming evidence she is innocent.
Consider that the complaint also alleged that VP Duterte betrayed the public’s trust and committed other high crimes. The SC’s decision did not rule or even imply on the vice president’s innocence or guilt. It simply declared that the impeachment process was faulty. A new complaint can be filed in the future if there are sufficient grounds and constitutional procedures are complied with.
The SC ruled that the impeachment complaint violated the one-year bar rule, which prohibits multiple impeachment proceedings against the same official within a year. The court also found that Duterte’s right to due process was violated, as she wasn’t given a chance to respond to the complaint before it was transmitted to the Senate.
The SC even clarified that its decision does not absolve Duterte of the charges and a new impeachment complaint can be filed against her not earlier than Feb. 6, 2026. So, it is too early for the supporters of VP Sara to gloat over the SC’s ruling dismissing the impeachment complaint.
During her tenure as secretary of education, VP Duterte was accused of misusing P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in matter of weeks. The complaint also alleged that she betrayed the public’s trust and committed other high crimes.
The SC’s decision is, without doubt, a victory for VP Duterte. But it could have broad implications for future impeachment proceedings. The Duterte legal team welcomed the ruling saying it reinforced constitutional limits against abuse of the impeachment process. But critics argue that the decision sets a new precedent that could make it more difficult to hold public officials accountable.