Vice President Sara Duterte failed to secure immediate relief from the Supreme Court to stop the House of Representatives’ public impeachment proceedings against her.
In her petition, Duterte asked for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the hearings. However, in a press release issued Wednesday, April 8, the Court did not grant any TRO. Instead, it directed the respondents—including the House of Representatives, the House justice committee, the Senate, and the complainants behind the two active impeachment cases—to submit their comments within a non-extendible period of 10 days.
Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon, a member of the House Committee on Justice, posted on social media:
“No TRO vs Duterte impeachment proceedings. See you on April 14.”
The committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on April 14, with several key witnesses expected to testify. Among them is Ramil Madriaga, identified as Duterte’s alleged bagman, who claimed he coordinated with the Vice President’s security personnel to deliver large sums of cash—believed to be from confidential funds—to various recipients.
Lawmakers also plan to present evidence obtained through subpoenas issued to multiple government agencies, including Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) from the Office of the Ombudsman and her income tax returns from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
In her petition, Duterte argued that the impeachment complaints violate the constitutional one-year bar rule and questioned the validity of their referral to the House justice committee.