April 9, 2026
MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) has required the House of Representatives to justify the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In an order released Tuesday, the House was given 10 non-extendible days from receipt of notice to submit its comment on the consolidated petitions filed by Duterte and a group of lawyers led by Atty. Israelito Torreon.
Both petitions requested a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to stop the House from proceeding with the impeachment case. When asked whether the SC had issued one, spokesperson Camille Ting said, “Yes, no TRO.”
READ: Sara Duterte seeks SC intervention to stop impeachment case
“Without necessarily giving due course to the petition, directed respondents, [House of Representatives] to comment within a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of notice,” the SC said.
The order means that the SC opts to hear the side of the House before moving forward with the consolidated petitions, including the prayer for a TRO.
READ: Lawyers seek to stop impeachment hearings vs Sara Duterte
The petitions question the constitutionality of the proceedings led by the House justice committee.
Duterte said in her petition that the Saballa and Cabrera complaints violated Article XI Section 3(5) of the Constitution, which prohibits initiating more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a year.
She also said the House justice panel exceeded its authority by conducting what its chairperson, Rep. Gerville Reyes-Luistro, called a “mini-trial.” The petition said the power to try impeachment cases is exclusively with the Senate.
Both petitions also accused the justice panel of doing a “fishing expedition” for evidence beyond the scope of the original impeachment complaints.
The petition filed by the lawyers led by Torreon cited the March 25 approval of sweeping subpoenas for bank records, materials from the National Bureau of Investigation, and affidavits as exceeding the committee’s constitutional role of “screening” cases.
“This petition is not about shielding the vice president from accountability,” Torreon clarified. “It is about ensuring that accountability remains constitutional. Impeachment is a sacred process, not a political free-for-all.” /mcm