House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez confirmed that the House of Representatives is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling declaring the impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled, 13-0, that the House violated a constitutional provision that allows only one impeachment complaint per year against an impeachable official. The high tribunal sided with Vice President Duterte’s defense, stating that the fourth impeachment complaint filed by the House violated this one-year rule.
In an interview, Speaker Romualdez said the House leadership is carefully studying the Supreme Court’s decision. While expressing respect for the ruling, he emphasized their intention to pursue all available legal remedies.
“Well ahm ah, we’re in the process of reviewing the decision of the court and of course we should respect the decision of the court but ahm, we’ll also exhaust all the remedies which is also, we’ll be preparing a motion for reconsideration within 15 days,” said Romualdez.
Despite the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision, the Speaker expressed hope that the ruling could still be refined.
“Well we hope that there could be, probably some refinements on the decision,” he added.
The House is expected to file the motion within the 15-day period allowed under the rules, possibly setting the stage for a legal showdown over constitutional boundaries and the limits of impeachment power in Congress.