Lawyers File Petition in SC over VP Sara Duterte Impeachment Proceedings in House
SARA DUTERTE – Some lawyers who are allies of the Vice President filed a petition before the Supreme Court over the impeachment proceedings.
Vice Pres. Duterte is faced with two (2) impeachment complaints that were declared by the House Justice Committee as sufficient in grounds. An impeachment rap was set aside by the panel for violating the one year rule ban.
The House Justice panel has already conducted the first hearing on the impeachment complaints filed against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte but she skipped the proceedings. One of his lawyers, Atty. Michael Poa, stressed that the Vice President is not required to attend the hearing.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s lawyer Atty. Michael Poa himself said that he will wait for the subpoena for him and check it. He stressed that he will not evade the House hearing. The panel ruled to issue a subpoena against Poa who was also the spokesperson of the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s stint as the DepEd secretary.
Aside from the impeachment rap that was set aside by the House Committee on Justice, there was another impeachment complaint which was the second to be filed against the Vice President among the four (4) impeachment raps. It was withdrawn by its complainants.
Tindig Pilipinas wanted to throw their support to the third impeachment rap filed against Duterte. Thus, to avoid procedural delay, they withdrew their impeachment rap.
Here are the grounds stated in the third impeachment rap filed against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte:
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount over PHP 500 million confidential funds (CF) allocated to the Office of the Vice President from 2022 to 2023
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount of not less than PHP 112.5 million of confidential funds allocated to the Department of Education (DepEd) for the year 2023
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust by corrupting and bribing officials of the DepEd
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in contracting to murder or assassinate the president, the first lady, and the former speaker of the House
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her SALN
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in committing acts of political destabilization and the high crimes of sedition and insurrection
Based on a report on News5, some lawyers who are allies of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte have filed a petition before the Supreme Court asking the high court to stop the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.
House Justice Committee member and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon called the petition of the lawyers who are allies of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as allegedly “just chaos”.
“Wala ho talagang batayan po ‘yung petisyon dahil lahat po ng ginagawa ng House Justice Committee ay within the 1987 Constitution provisions, within the House rules po of impeachment… Within Supreme Court resolution and decision po,” Ridon said based on the post.
Amid the impeachment process in the House, the camp of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte believes that the Senate is supposedly the “proper forum” to discuss the impeachment complaints.
