Ridon: SC likely to junk TRO bid vs VP Sara impeachment

Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on Sunday said he believes the Supreme Court will likely dismiss a petition seeking to stop the House of Representatives from proceeding with impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Ito ay isang petisyon na, sa tingin ko, ibabasura ng Korte Suprema dahil wala namang ligal na personalidad itong mga abogado at alyado ng Pangalawang Pangulo na magsampa ng kasong ito,” Ridon told Super Radyo dzBB.

(“I believe the Supreme Court will dismiss this petition because these lawyers and allies of the Vice President have no legal personality to file this case.”)

The lawmaker said petitions of this nature must be anchored on legal standing.

“Ang sinasabi nila, nagpa-file sila bilang taxpayers. Hindi pwede 'yun. Kapag taxpayers' suits, kailangan ang pinag-uusapan ay disbursement ng public funds, eh impeachment ang pinag-uusapan,” Ridon said.

(“They said they filed the petition as taxpayers, which is not allowed because taxpayer suits must involve the disbursement of public funds, while this case involves impeachment.”)

“Ang tanging pwedeng mag-challenge ng isang impeachment proceedings ay impeachable official katulad ng Pangalawang Pangulo,” he added.

(“The only one who can challenge impeachment proceedings is the impeachable official, such as the Vice President.”)

ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said the petition was premature.

"Tingin natin premature. Bukod sa first hearing, wala pang nagagawang konkretong aksiyon. Kaya for the most part, speculative yung mga alegasyon doon na puwede ngang hindi mangyari," Tinio, an ex-officio member of the House Committee on Justice, said in an online interview on Tuesday.

(I think it's premature. Aside from the first hearing, no concrete action has been taken yet. So for the most part, the allegations there are speculative and may not happen.)

Tinio also denied allegations of a fishing expedition against the Vice President. 

"Sabi fishing expedition. Hypothetical pa yon at this point. So talagang panggulo lang at expected na, na gagamitin ng kampo ng bise presidente ang lahat para again, iwasan yung, simple lang naman, magpaliwanag sa publiko, accountability sa mga aksiyon kaugnay sa confidential funds, kaugnay sa SALN, at iba pa," Tinio added.

(They say it's a fishing expedition. That's still hypothetical at this point. So it's really just a nuisance and it's expected that the vice president's camp will use everything to again, avoid, simply, explaining to the public, accountability for actions related to confidential funds, related to SALN, and so on.)

Tinio said he expects other similar petitions to be filed before the SC in the coming days.

In a 186-page petition, the petitioners asked the SC to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) and declare that the House Committee on Justice gravely abused its discretion when it sustained the third and fourth impeachment complaints against Duterte, arguing that these lacked sufficiency in form and substance.

They also sought a ruling declaring that the complaints should have been dismissed outright for alleged insufficiency in form and/or substance.

Ridon rejected the petitioners’ claims, saying the impeachment proceedings are being conducted in accordance with the 1987 Constitution and the House Rules on Impeachment.

“Walang batayan ang sinasabi nila na ito ay isang malaking ‘fishing expedition,’ lalo’t higit may buong kapangyarihan ang Kongreso at komite na mag-isyu ng mga subpoena para magbigay ng paglilinaw sa mga paratang ng complainants natin,” the lawmaker said.

(“There is no basis for their claim that this is a ‘fishing expedition,’ especially since Congress and its committee have full authority to issue subpoenas to clarify the allegations.”)

Vice President Duterte earlier said she would rather focus on assisting those affected by rising petroleum prices than attend the hearings, which she described as a “third fishing expedition” against her.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega II said he expects Duterte’s trust rating to decline further amid the ongoing impeachment proceedings.

“Tingin ko babagsak pa ‘yang trust ratings niya. Matagal nang nakabitin ‘yung mga isyu na ‘yan na hindi niya maipaliwanag kasi wala naman siyang sagot diyan.

(“I think her trust ratings will drop further. These issues have long been unresolved, and she has not been able to explain them.)

‘Yan ang nakatanim na sa isipan ng taong bayan, kaya ganyan kalawak ang distrust sa kanya,” Ortega said.

(That is already in the public’s mind, which is why distrust toward her is widespread.”)

Ortega cited a Pulse Asia survey indicating that 51.5% of respondents said alleged involvement in corruption was the main reason for their distrust.

He noted that the survey was conducted before Duterte declined an invitation from the House Committee on Justice and before the petition was filed before the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, members of the House Committee on Justice said they will continue their hearings on the impeachment complaints despite the pending petition before the Supreme Court questioning the proceedings.—with Tina Panganiban-Perez/MCG/VBL, GMA Integrated News