Sara Duterte fails to get reprieve from SC, impeachment hearing to proceed

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte was unable to secure an order from the Supreme Court that would have blocked a public impeachment hearing against her at the House of Representatives.

When Duterte filed her petition with the Supreme Court asking it to stop the proceedings, it specifically requested a temporary restraining order.

The Supreme Court, however, made no mention of a TRO issued in favor of the Vice President in its press release on Wednesday, April 8, saying it has instead directed respondents of Duterte’s petition to submit a comment within 10 non-extendible days.

The respondents include the House of Representatives as a whole, the House justice committee, the Senate, and the petitioners behind the two active impeachment complaints against her.

“No TRO vs Duterte impeachment proceedings. See you on April 14,” House justice committee member Terry Ridon said on X.

The public hearing on April 14 will feature key witnesses against Duterte, including her alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga, who claimed he worked with the Vice President’s security officers to transport wads of cash, presumably confidential funds, to various individuals.

Lawmakers are also set to unveil substantial pieces of evidence that were subpoenaed by the committee from various government agencies. These include her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth from the Ombudsman, and her income tax returns from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Duterte, in her petition filed with the Supreme Court, argued that the impeachment complaints violated the one-year bar, and that their referral to the justice committee was invalid.

She also flagged the supposed “trial” nature of the proceedings. – Rappler.com