Progressive groups press SC to overturn Duterte impeachment decision
The Supreme Court in Manila. INQUIRER file photo / Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines – More than a hundred protesters from progressive groups filled Padre Faura Street in Manila early Tuesday morning to urge the Supreme Court—set to hold its en banc session—to overturn its ruling that declared the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional.
The nearly three-hour protest was led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), the anti-corruption group TAMA NA, and other concerned citizens, some of whom have filed motions for reconsideration and formal letters to the high court seeking a reversal of its decision.
“We believe the court’s ruling is utterly wrong, and fortunately, there is still a chance to correct it. If the Supreme Court does not change this, this fight will end up in the streets,” said Bayan chair and former lawmaker Teddy Casiño.
If the high court reverses its ruling, he said, the process would reopen in the Senate.
The protest coincided with the high tribunal’s scheduled full-court session, with activists hoping the Supreme Court would at the very least accept the motions for reconsideration filed by various groups since the start of the month.
“We know it’s difficult to overturn a unanimous decision, but perhaps, given the glaring factual errors in the ruling and the Supreme Court’s glaring overreach, this might be one of those rare occasions when it reverses itself,” Casiño said.
READ: READ: Another group asks SC to reverse ruling on VP impeachment
The Vice President was impeached on Feb. 5 after 215 lawmakers endorsed a fourth impeachment complaint, fast-tracking its transmittal to the Senate for trial.
She was accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust over the alleged misuse of confidential funds and her death threat against President Marcos.
However, in February, Duterte and a group of Mindanaoan lawyers filed separate petitions before the Supreme Court challenging the impeachment complaint against her.
On July 25, the Supreme Court declared the articles of impeachment unconstitutional for violating the 1987 Constitution’s one-year bar rule and Duterte’s right to due process.
The high court ruled that the first three complaints filed in December 2024 had been archived, terminated, or dismissed on the same day the fourth complaint was filed.
In its landmark decision, the tribunal also set new due process requirements for impeachment and clarified the application of the one-year bar rule.
Since the release of the unanimous decision, the House of Representatives, which is named as the main respondent, filed its own motion for reconsideration on Aug. 4.
The first three sets of complainants have also separately sought to intervene and have the ruling reconsidered.
Though not part of the original complainants in the House, the 1Sambayan Coalition—composed of retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales—also filed a motion to intervene on Aug. 5 and urged the Supreme Court to hold oral arguments on the case. /jpv
