Philippines’ V-P Sara Duterte asks court to halt impeachment case

MANILA – Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte has asked the country’s top court to stop the impeachment proceedings against her by the House of Representatives, saying the process is unconstitutional and “marred by grave abuse of discretion”.

In her petition, she claimed the House justice committee’s move to proceed with two impeachment complaints after two others were dropped violated the rule that no impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a year.

She also called unconstitutional plans by the same committee to hold what she sees as a “mini-trial” by ordering certain individuals to provide testimonies during hearings scheduled in April, adding that only the Senate has the power to act as an impeachment court.

Ms Duterte is accused of threatening to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and misusing public funds, allegations she has denied.

“The impeachment proceedings against the petitioner are unconstitutional and continuing with them will result in miscarriage of justice and a mockery of processes that our Constitution and laws have always aimed to protect,” she said in her petition released late on April 7.

The latest impeachment attempts mark another political setback for Ms Duterte, who is locked in a feud with Mr Marcos, and come as the country faces economic challenges amid the Iran war that has pushed inflation to a 20-month high in March.

In February, she declared her intention to run for president in the next election in 2028, when Mr Marcos must step down after a mandated single six-year term.

Congressman Terry Ridon, a member of the House justice committee, said Ms Duterte’s petition is a “clear attempt to mislead the Supreme Court and the public”. He said the one-year bar applies only after a valid referral of an impeachment complaint and that only one referral was made to the panel.

“We are now in the middle of a constitutional process of accountability. We will continue the proceedings until the very end,” he said in a statement.

The latest bid to impeach Ms Duterte follows an unsuccessful attempt in 2025. The House impeached her on largely similar accusations, but the Senate later shelved the case after the Supreme Court invalidated it, saying it violated the one-year bar.

She is the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained at the International Criminal Court since March 2025. The Marcos administration turned him over to the Hague-based court to face charges of crimes against humanity related to his drug war that killed thousands. BLOOMBERG