THE Supreme Court has taken its first step on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, ordering both the House of Representatives and the Senate to provide verified information and sworn documents on the complaints.
In a resolution issued on July 8, the highest court said it wants a clearer picture of how the complaints were handled, especially those filed by private citizens, and whether proper procedures were followed by Congress.
The directive also includes consolidating two related petitions filed before the high court, including one by Duterte herself and another by a group of Davao-based lawyers and officials.
The House, led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and the Senate, represented by Senate President Chiz Escudero, have 10 calendar days, non-extendable, to respond.
Among the key details the Court is asking for include: The current status of the first three impeachment complaints; the exact dates when these were endorsed by any member of Congress; whether the House Secretary General has the authority to delay or refuse transmitting a properly endorsed complaint to the Speaker; and how long it took from endorsement to actual inclusion in the House’s Order of Business.
The court also asked who prepared the Articles of Impeachment and how they were shared among lawmakers; whether the vice president was given a fair chance to respond to the evidence; and if lawmakers had enough time to study the charges and evidence before making a decision.
These questions are central to the Vice President’s legal team, who argue that the process may have been rushed or mishandled.
The SC also noted that it had received a manifestation from Duterte’s legal counsel on June 30. It emphasized that its call for information was made “without prejudice to the resolution of other issues,” meaning more legal questions may still be addressed later.
In the resolution, Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa inhibited from the case, while Justices Maria Filomena Singh and Ricardo Rosario are on leave.
To recall, three impeachment complaints were filed against Duterte in December 2024, all of which were connected with the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
It was the fourth impeachment complaint that was endorsed by over one-third of lawmakers from the House of Representatives, and was later transmitted to the Senate.
Among the bases of the impeachment complaints were Duterte’s alleged involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez; the malversation of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President, as well as the Department of Education (DepEd), during her time as secretary from 2022 to 2024; and bribery and corruption within the DepEd.
On February 5, 2025, the last day of Congress before it went on a four-month break ahead of the May 2025 midterm polls, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte, immediately submitting the seven Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.
The impeachment trial was supposed to start immediately after reconvening after elections, but the Senate voted on a motion by Alan Peter Cayetano not to dismiss or terminate the proceedings but to return the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives on June 10, 2025.
The next day, the House unanimously passed a resolution certifying the impeachment complaint's compliance with the Constitution in response to the Senate remand. At the same time, it approved a motion deferring acceptance of the articles of impeachment until the Senate responds to the queries sought by the House prosecution panel regarding the remanding.
The House prosecution panel responded to the arguments of Vice President Duterte in her answer ad cautelam filed before the impeachment court on June 27. RGL