House, Senate have 10 days to reply to VP Duterte impeachment complaint

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MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has directed the House of Representatives, its Secretary General Reginald Velasco, and the Senate to respond to Vice President Sara Duterte’s petition to stop the impeachment case pending against her in the upper chamber.

Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting said on Tuesday that 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.

READ: VP Duterte makes own move at SC vs impeachment

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.

Up to 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, 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.