Philippine House seeks reversal of Supreme Court ruling on VP Duterte impeachment

Manila, Aug 4 The Philippine House of Representatives has filed a formal motion urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its recent ruling that effectively blocked the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said Monday.

In an official statement, Romualdez emphasised that the House acted "in full compliance with the Constitution" when it transmitted the impeachment complaint against Duterte on February 5, describing the process as both lawful and consistent with democratic principles.

The motion, which was submitted through the Office of the Solicitor General, argued that the Court had "misread the facts" and erroneously applied new rules retroactively. It warned that the controversial decision could severely undermine Congress's constitutional role in the democratic process and weaken the people’s right to hold public officials accountable through established legal mechanisms, Xinhua news agency reported.

“This is not an act of defiance. It is an act of duty. We do not challenge the authority of the Court. We seek only to preserve the rightful role of the House, the voice of the people, in the process of accountability," Romualdez said, reiterating the House's respect for the judiciary while defending the integrity of its actions.

Romualdez insisted that the House did not violate the constitutional one-year bar when it impeached Duterte. He further emphasised that the earlier three complaints were archived only after the February 5 transmission of the fourth complaint, which he asserted constituted the sole valid initiation of the fourth impeachment, fully in line with the Constitution's one-year bar on multiple filings.

On July 25, the Supreme Court unanimously voted to declare the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, thereby preventing the Senate from assuming jurisdiction over the case.

The Court clarified that Duterte was not absolved of the allegations and ruled that a new complaint may only be filed after February 6, 2026.

The Senate has yet to decide whether it will appeal the ruling or simply abide by the Supreme Court's decision, pending further deliberations.

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