Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling that blocked the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, calling it a “clear encroachment” on the constitutional powers of Congress.
In a statement, Sotto said the high court’s decision misinterpreted the law and effectively amended the Constitution through what he described as judicial overreach.
“The decision is a clear judicial legislation. The SC, as written in their decision, admitted of introducing a rule for Congress to follow in the conduct of impeachment. A clear encroachment on the power of the legislative branch, as provided for by the Constitution. Impeachment is now an impossible dream!” Sotto said.
He added that the alleged misinterpretation could take “decades of retirements to correct.”
The Supreme Court first halted the impeachment trial in July 2025, ruling that it violated the constitutional ban on initiating more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a year.
It said a new impeachment attempt against Duterte may only be filed starting February 6, 2026. The high court affirmed this decision in a ruling released Thursday.
Sotto also objected to the court’s move to lay down rules for Congress in handling impeachment cases, arguing that the Constitution clearly assigns the initiation and trial of impeachment to the legislative branch.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court cited due process concerns, saying the House of Representatives should have furnished the Vice President with copies of the Articles of Impeachment and supporting evidence, and ensured that all lawmakers—not only endorsers—had access to the materials.
“Thus, there must be some modicum of deliberation so that each member representing their constituents can be heard and thus convince others of their position,” the Supreme Court Public Information Office said in a press release last July.