MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio has elevated her impeachment battle to the Supreme Court of the Philippines, seeking urgent judicial clarification on the legality of proceedings initiated by the House of Representatives of the Philippines, as political tensions over the complaints against her intensify.
In a statement, the Vice President’s legal team confirmed that a Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition has been filed before the High Court, arguing that fundamental constitutional questions require immediate resolution.
“To be clear, this is not about avoiding the process. This is about ensuring that the process itself complies with the Constitution. The House has the power to initiate impeachment, but that power is not without limits,” the legal team said in a statement sent to Panay News.
However, Terry Ridon strongly disputed Duterte-Carpio’s claims, branding the petition as misleading and legally baseless.
“Ang petisyong ito ay nakabatay sa maling paglalahad ng mga aktwal na pangyayari at maling interpretasyon ng Konstitusyon at umiiral na jurisprudence. Ito ay malinaw na panlilinlang ng Pangalawang Pangulo at ng kanyang mga abogado sa Korte Suprema at sa publiko,” Ridon said.
Ridon rejected the Vice President’s assertion that the impeachment complaints were improperly referred by the House plenary, pointing to official records to support the validity of the process.
He further argued that no constitutional provision requires prior deliberation before the referral of impeachment complaints, countering Duterte-Carpio’s position.
“Walang probisyon sa 1987 Constitution, House Rules on Impeachment, o sa Gutierrez v. House na nag-uutos na kinakailangang magkaroon ng deliberasyon bago ang referral,” Ridon said. “Ang sinasabi lamang sa Gutierrez ay maaaring magkaroon ng deliberasyon — hindi ito isang mandatoryong rekisito.”
The lawmaker added that no objections were raised during the plenary session when the complaints were referred — an opportunity that could have triggered deliberations.
Ridon also dismissed claims that the one-year bar rule had been violated, explaining that the restriction applies only after a valid referral has been completed.
“Ang One-Year Bar ay umiiral lamang matapos ang isang valid referral ng impeachment complaint. Malinaw sa public record na iisa lamang ang naganap na referral ng mga impeachment complaints sa House Committee on Justice, kahit itinabi ang Castro complaint at nag-withdraw ang Dee complaint,” he said.
He maintained that due process was observed, emphasizing that the House Committee on Justice has the authority to conduct hearings and gather evidence.
Despite the petition before the High Court, Ridon said the impeachment proceedings will continue.
“Nasa gitna na tayo ng proseso ng pagpapanagot sa Pangalawang Pangulo. Tuloy-tuloy ito hanggang pinakadulo,” he said. “Tama na ang panlilinlang. Tama na ang pagsisinungaling. Panahon na para harapin ang katotohanan.”/PN
