SC dismisses Sara Duterte, lawyers' petition vs. impeachment proceedings

The Supreme Court (SC) En Banc on Wednesday dismissed the consolidated petitions filed by Vice President Sara Duterte and several lawyers to stop the House impeachment proceedings against her, ruling that they are moot as the Senate impeachment court is already on its Day 13 of trial

In a statement, the SC said that the issues raised in the petitions had become moot, or no longer required a resolution, because the House of Representatives had already approved and transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.

“While the SC recognized that it may, in exceptional cases, decide issues that have become moot, it found that none of the recognized exceptions applied in this case,” it said.

To recall, Duterte in March 2026 asked the SC to issue a temporary restraining order against the House and the House justice panel to stop them from proceeding with the impeachment hearings.

Lawyers Torreon, Vic Rodriguez, Rescie Angelli Rizada-Nolasco, Martin Delgra III, Wendel Avisado, James Patrick Bondoc, Raul Lambino, Luna Maria Acosta-Manlitoc, Jesus Hinlo Jr., and Dr. Richard Mata also asked the SC to issue a TRO against the impeachment proceedings.

The House transmitted the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President to the Senate in May.

According to the SC, the House’s transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment “marked the end of the House’s role in the impeachment process.”

“As a result, the actions the petitioner sought to stop had already been completed,” the SC said.

Meanwhile, the SC stressed that the impeachment process has proceeded to the Senate, which had convened as an impeachment court.

“Any ruling on the validity of the actions taken by the House and its Committee on Justice would no longer affect the controversy,” it added.

A total of four petitions have been filed with the SC in connection with the impeachment proceedings. The first two were consolidated by the High Court, while the remaining petitions were filed after the consolidation. —AOL, GMA News