Legal representatives for Vice President Sara Duterte have petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the ongoing Senate impeachment proceedings against her, citing constitutional vulnerabilities in the trial’s guidelines and leadership.
The defense team, spearheaded by Atty. Israelito Torreon along with eight other petitioners, submitted an urgent manifestation requesting a status quo ante order or an injunction to suspend the trial until the high court can assess the legitimacy of the impeachment complaints.
“Petitioners thus respectfully submit that a temporary restraining order, status quo ante order, or other appropriate interim relief is warranted,” the filing stated.
The lawyers stressed that a suspension is essential to “ensure that the impeachment trial proceeds, if at all, only under Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials validly adopted and only under a presiding officer whose authority to preside is not under serious and unresolved constitutional challenge.”
At the core of the petition is a challenge to the Senate’s June 3 session, where lawmakers adjusted the impeachment framework and appointed Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as the presiding officer.
The legal team cautioned that proceeding without judicial clarity risks a situation where “constitutional review may be reduced to an after-the-fact pronouncement on proceedings that have already moved forward under a cloud of illegality.”
Citing the deliberations of the 1987 Constitutional Commission, the petitioners asserted that the Senate President holds the exclusive constitutional mandate to chair the impeachment court for all officials except the President.
“The Chief Justice (of the Supreme Court) presides only when the President is on trial. In all other impeachment cases, including the impeachment trial of the Vice President, the Senate President presides,” the lawyers maintained.
The legal battle comes just a day after the Senate launched its trial into several allegations against the Vice President, which include bribery, unexplained wealth, misapplication of confidential funds, and making grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.