The Tamesis
April 8, 2026
Manila – Vice President Sara Duterte has filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking the lower house to halt impeachment proceedings against her.
In a 58-page petition for certiorari and suppression, Duterte argued that the impeachment proceedings initiated against her were unconstitutional and therefore should be invalidated from the outset.
READ: Probable cause phase of Vice President Duterte impeachment proceedings likely to end in April – Rep. Flores
Her argument hinges on claims that the proceedings before the House and Judiciary Committee were “marred by a gross abuse of discretion” in bringing her impeachment complaint to the Judiciary Committee in the first place.
She pointed out that the House of Representatives failed to act as a collective body when submitting the complaint and instead left it to the Rules Committee, a move she believed violated Article 11, Section 3(2) of the Constitution.
Duterte later claimed that the two complaints filed against her – the Sabala and Cabrera complaints – violated the one-year ban rule under the 1987 Constitution.
Additionally, the vice president accused the House Judiciary Committee of infringing on the powers of the Senate, noting that the committee chair publicly described their proceedings as a “mini-trial.”
Her petition reads: “…the proceedings before the Respondent Judicial Committee manifested a gross abuse of discretion, a double standard in the handling of impeachment complaints submitted to it, and demonstrated clear trolling that resulted in a violation of the petitioners’ constitutional rights to due process, the presumption of innocence, and equal protection of the law.”
In her petition, Duterte also claimed there was a “double standard” in the House’s handling of the impeachment complaints against her and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Accordingly, Duterte asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction prohibiting the House of Representatives and the Judiciary Committee from continuing the proceedings.
She also asked the Supreme Court to declare Rules 7 and 8 of the Rules of Impeachment Procedure adopted by the 20th Congress and the “Guidelines” issued by the House Judiciary Committee invalid and unconstitutional.
Additionally, the Vice President is seeking the Supreme Court’s help in issuing a final injunction to cancel impeachment proceedings related to the “unconstitutional” complaints against her and prevent Congress from taking any further action on those complaints. /cb
