Duterte camp stands by SC win, prepares for more legal battles

Metro Manila, Philippines - The legal team of Vice President Sara Duterte is standing firm after the Supreme Court (SC) unanimously ruled that the impeachment complaint against her was unconstitutional, while continuing to brace for other legal battles the vice president is facing.

In an interview with “The Newsmaker,” Michael Poa, a member of Duterte’s defense team, said the group is complying with the high court ruling while maintaining readiness amid other pending complaints.

“The preparation ng defense team ni VP Sara would always be there, regardless kung ano man pong maging desisyon ng Senate or kung magkaroon man po ng pagbabago sa development sa Supreme Court.”

[Translation: The defense team of VP Sara will always be prepared, regardless of what decision the Senate makes or if there are developments at the Supreme Court.]

He added that the vice president is also confronting a number of cases pending before the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.

“Aside from this impeachment, marami rin pong mga kasong kinahaharap ang ating vice president dahil marami din pong hinihain,” Poa said.

[Translation: Aside from this impeachment, the vice president is also facing several other cases being filed.]

Despite the SC ruling favoring Duterte, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez announced on Monday that the House of Representatives has filed a motion for reconsideration urging the SC to revisit and reverse its July 25 decision.

“With full respect for the Constitution, in defense of institutional balance, and in the name of the Filipino people, the House of Representatives has filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Supreme Court,” Romualdez said in a statement.

He insisted the move was “an act of duty” and not defiance, noting that the House seeks to preserve its constitutional role in initiating impeachment proceedings.

“The Constitution says, ‘The House of Representatives shall have the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment.’ That power is not shared. Not subject to pre-approval. And not conditional,” he said.

He also addressed the SC finding that Duterte was denied due process.

“The court also said the vice president was denied due process because she was not furnished a copy or given a chance to respond,” Romualdez said. “But nowhere in the Constitution is that required before transmittal.”

In contrast, Duterte’s legal team described the SC ruling as a firm validation of their legal position.

“It really affirmed our position na unconstitutional itong articles of impeachment,” he said.

[Translation: It really affirmed our position that the articles of impeachment were unconstitutional.]

Poa said the defense team is closely monitoring all legal and legislative developments and continuing their preparations as other cases move forward.

“We just comply with the legal processes, sagutin ang mga kailangan sagutin, and then we'll just wait for the decisions of the proper bodies.”

[Translation: We comply with the legal processes, respond when needed, and wait for the decisions of the proper bodies.]