Articles of Impeachment vs. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte declared “Unconstitutional” by SC
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President’s camp spoke on the ruling of the Supreme Court declaring the Articles of Impeachment “unconstitutional”.
The Supreme Court recently declared the Articles of Impeachment against Vice Pres. Duterte “unconstitutional”. The decision came amid the calls for the Senate impeachment court to immediately start the impeachment trial after the 20th Congress opens.
According to the Supreme Court, the impeachment complaint against Duterte is “barred by the one-year rule”. The high court’s decision gathered different reactions from the people including several senators. Undeniably, many people were disappointed by the SC ruling amid the accusations of alleged misuse of Confidential Funds against the Vice President.
Four impeachment complaints were filed against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. The fourth complaint was the one transmitted to the Senate. However, acting as an impeachment court, the upper chamber ruled to return the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives with an 18/5 ruling:
YES
- Alan Peter Cayetano
- Pia Cayetano
- Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa
- JV Ejercito
- Chiz Escudero
- Jinggoy Estrada
- Bong Go
- Lito Lapid
- Loren Legarda
- Imee Marcos
- Robin Padilla
- Bong Revilla
- Francis Tolentino
- Raffy Tulfo
- Joel Villanueva
- Cynthia Villar
- Mark Villar
- Juan Miguel Zubiri
NO
- Koko Pimentel
- Risa Hontiveros
- Sherwin Gatchalian
- Grace Poe
- Nancy Binay
The Senate impeachment court had questions about the constitutionality of the impeachment complaint against Duterte. It also sought a reconfirmation from the 20th Congress. Vice Pres. Duterte, Atty. Israelito Torreon, and several others also filed a petition to the Supreme Court seeking for the dismissal of the impeachment complaint against the Vice President.
The ruling of the Supreme Court declaring the Articles of Impeachment against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was welcomed by the camp of the Vice President. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the camp of the Vice President said the high court “upheld the rule of law”.
“This unanimous decision has once again upheld the rule of law and reinforced the constitutional limits against abuse of the impeachment process,” Atty. Michael Poa, the spokesperson of Duterte’s defense team, said.
Based on the report, the camp of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that they “remain prepared to address the allegations at the proper time and before the appropriate forum”. Currently, the Vice President is in The Hague, Netherlands where her father, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is detained under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte shared her conversation with former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte about Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.