Members of the Makabayan bloc said they are prepared to refile an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte following the Supreme Court’s denial of the House of Representatives’ appeal and its ruling that the first impeachment case was unconstitutional.
ACT Teachers Partylist Representative Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Partylist Representative Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Partylist Representative Renee Co said the high court’s decision effectively blocked the House leadership’s earlier attempt to speed up the impeachment process.
“The Supreme Court’s final ruling effectively disables the so-called ‘fast track mode’ of impeachment that the House leadership attempted to use in processing the impeachment complaint against the Vice President,” they said.
“With this ruling, the SC made future impeachment proceedings more difficult. The means to hold accountable the highest officials of the land, through the 1/3 vote of the House of Representatives, will now be even more difficult for citizens to pursue. The SC has rewritten the rules for impeachment in favor of the impeachable officials like the President and Vice President,” they added.
Despite the setback, the lawmakers stressed that the accusations raised against Duterte remain unresolved.
“The issues raised in the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte—including her alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes—remain valid and must be addressed through the proper constitutional process,” the bloc said.
They also maintained that accountability should not be dismissed due to technicalities.
“The Vice President must be held accountable for her actions and omissions that have violated the public trust. The confidential funds scandal, the misuse of public resources, and the pattern of abuse of authority cannot be swept under the rug simply because of procedural technicalities,” they said.
“The Filipino people deserve answers. They deserve accountability. And they deserve a Vice President who respects the Constitution and serves the public interest, not personal or political agendas,” they added.
The Makabayan bloc emphasized that public clamor for accountability remains strong and must be pursued through proper legal channels.
The one-year bar for filing an impeachment complaint against Duterte is set to lapse on February 6.