Vice President Sara Duterte clarified on Saturday that she was not consulted by the group of lawyers who sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court to halt the impeachment proceedings against her in the House of Representatives.
“Oh, hindi sila nag-consult sa akin, no? Kasi hindi ko na iniisip ang impeachment sa panahon ngayon. Iniwan ko na yan lahat sa mga abogado,” Duterte told reporters in an ambush interview during the 89th Araw ng Dabaw celebration on March 28.
Despite not being involved in the legal move, Duterte expressed her gratitude to the lawyers led by Israelito Torreon for filing the petition.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga lawyers, independent lawyers na hindi kasama sa defense team, na nag iisip pa rin na ipagtanggol ang ating saligang batas at kontrahin ang pag abuso ng proseso ng impeachment,” she said.
On Friday, Torreon and his group filed a petition for certiorari with a prayer for TRO, urging the Supreme Court to stop the House from continuing with impeachment complaints they described as “constitutionally and procedurally defective.”
The petition questions whether the lower chamber can proceed with the complaints despite alleged violations of constitutional safeguards and procedural rules.