Manila, Philippines – A Supreme Court reversal of its July 2025 decision that junked an impeachment bid against Vice President Sara Duterte could pave the way for an impeachment trial to proceed, and spare lawmakers from filing a fresh complaint come February, House committee on public accounts chairman Rep. Terry Ridon said on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
A one-year ban against the filing of a new impeachment complaint against the vice president expires on Feb. 6, but House lawmakers are racing against time to finetune and muster the number that will support a fresh bid to oust Duterte.
But there’s another legal route that cuts short that process and allows Congress to move swiftly to the trial phase, Ridon said.
The high tribunal has yet to rule on an appeal filed by the House late last year that sought to reverse the magistrates’ July ruling that declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte as unconstitutional for violating the Bill of Rights, citing a one-year rule governing the impeachment process. The magistrates also had said the Senate could not acquire jurisdiction over the impeachment proceedings.
“The call of House members would be for the Supreme Court to finally just resolve the motion for reconsideration [MR] submitted by the House on the original decision.
Kasi alam nyo po maraming mare-resolve na mga bagay pagka ho [Because you know, several issues will be resolved if] either they approve the MR or they reject the MR.
Siyempre [Certainly], if they approve the MR, we don’t need … new impeachment complaint by the 6th of Feb,” Ridon told a forum
A ruling that does not give credence to the House appeal would mean lawmakers would go back to square one in the impeachment process, said Ridon, who is also a lawyer.
“Ibig sabihin [It means], it will be the Senate’s prerogative at this point to unarchive the proceedings and second, for the Senate to proceed to trial.
Yan po ang [That is the] consequence if favorable to the House.
If unfavorable to the House, siyempre [of course] the House will have to adopt the new standards being given by the Supreme Court on how to conduct the impeachment proceedings,” the Bicol Saro party-list lawmaker said.
