Duterte Files SC Petition to Halt Impeachment

Vice President Sara Duterte filed a petition with the Supreme Court on March 30, 2026, seeking to halt ongoing impeachment proceedings against her in the House of Representatives, arguing that the process violates the Philippine Constitution.

In the 58-page petition for certiorari and prohibition, filed through the Fortun Narvasa and Salazar law offices, Duterte requested a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary injunction to stop the House Committee on Justice from continuing its hearings. The petition names as respondents the House of Representatives through Speaker Faustino G. Dy III, the Justice Committee through Representative Gerville A. Reyes Luistro, the Senate through President Vicente C. Sotto III, and several individuals associated with the complaints, including Joel T. Saballa and Nathaniel G. Cabrera.

Duterte contends that the proceedings amount to grave abuse of discretion and encroach on the Senate's exclusive role as the impeachment court. She argues that the House failed to refer the complaints as a collective body, instead delegating the task to the Committee on Rules, in violation of Section 32, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution. Additionally,...