“It is infuriating that unrepentant plunderers occupying high positions in government can maneuver and invoke bureaucratic rules and technicalities to escape punishment, even as they continue to commit serious crimes against the Filipino people.”

By Emily Vital
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Both the House of Representatives and progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court decision declaring the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional.

The House of Representatives (HOR) was quoted in a report saying it will respect the SC ruling but added that “impeachment is a political act rooted in the people’s will — no legal technicality should silence it.” 

House of Representatives Spokesperson Princess Abante said, “For the judiciary to intervene in the impeachment’s initiation, risks undermining the very principle of checks and balances.”

In a unanimous decision announced today, the SC en banc said declared the Articles of Impeachment against Sara Duterte unconstitutional, noting that it is barred by the one-year rule under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution and that it violates the right to due process enshrined in the Bill of Rights. 

The Senate, the SC said, could not acquire jurisdiction over the impeachment proceedings.

Bayan is not accepting the justification. “It is infuriating that unrepentant plunderers occupying high positions in government can maneuver and invoke bureaucratic rules and technicalities to escape punishment, even as they continue to commit serious crimes against the Filipino people,” the group said.  

“We are outraged that the pursuit of accountability against corrupt officials is once again derailed,” the group said. “This further delay does not only undermine justice but also ignores the people’s clamor for accountability.”

In its decision, the SC said that the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress did not act on the first three endorsed impeachment complaints, which were considered “terminated or dismissed” upon the adjournment of the HOR. The high court said that no new impeachment complaint, if any, may be commenced earlier than February 6, 2026.”

The SC quoted Under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution, which states, “[n]o impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year.” 

Bayan asserted that from the start, the impeachment initiative against Duterte “has been held hostaged by transactional politics and unprincipled transactions by corrupt officials, which reflects how the rule of law is misused to shield those who abuse their power with impunity.” 

If at all, Bayan said the SC decision “is a reminder that the impeachment process will face more legal challenges and institutional constraints, and therefore our efforts to push for justice and accountability must be done through sustained and stronger collective action.” 

Twelve of the 15 SC justices have been appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte.