A group of lawyers led by Israelito Torreon, counsel for detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, together with former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, filed a petition before the Supreme Court on Friday seeking to stop the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte in the House of Representatives.
The petition for certiorari and prohibition, which also requests a temporary restraining order and/or a writ of preliminary injunction, challenges alleged procedural lapses by the House Committee on Justice in handling the third and fourth impeachment complaints.
The lawyers argued that these complaints are “constitutionally and procedurally defective on their face.”
According to the petitioners, complaints that fail to meet the constitutional threshold should be dismissed outright rather than subjected to extended proceedings.
“The Constitution does not defend itself. When constitutional boundaries are crossed, someone must go to court,” Torreon said.
The group also accused the House panel of overstepping its authority during the March 25 hearing by issuing sweeping subpoenas to obtain evidence not originally included in the complaints.
These subpoenas reportedly covered a wide range of documents, including statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs), National Bureau of Investigation records, affidavits, Commission on Audit reports, and corporate documents such as general information sheets and audited financial statements of companies not mentioned in the complaints. A law firm was also among those subpoenaed.
“These actions show that the committee abandoned its gatekeeping role and allowed the proceedings to expand into a fishing expedition,” the petition read.
The petitioners further argued that the complaints relied on conclusions, hearsay, and unauthenticated materials instead of clear and verifiable allegations of impeachable offenses. They emphasized that impeachment complaints must clearly outline the acts in question, as well as the participation and accountability of the respondent.
Concerns over due process were also raised, asserting that the respondent should be given the opportunity to respond to a fixed and sufficient complaint, rather than one that evolves as the investigation progresses.
Additionally, the lawyers alleged possible bias within the committee, noting that some members had previously endorsed or publicly expressed support for the complaints. They also criticized what they described as inconsistent standards, claiming stricter rules had been applied in past impeachment cases involving other officials.
While acknowledging the House’s constitutional authority to initiate impeachment proceedings, the petitioners stressed that such power must still comply with due process and established rules.
They are now asking the Supreme Court to declare the committee’s actions void and to immediately suspend the proceedings while judicial review is ongoing.