Photo courtesy of Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook.
Some House leaders are moving to revise impeachment rules to ensure any future complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte comply with the Supreme Court’s latest ruling, lawmakers said Saturday.
Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said the new rules will be “Supreme Court-proof” and aligned with the high court’s guidance on procedural matters, even as the House awaits a decision on its motion for reconsideration.
Acidre added the revised rules for the 20th Congress aim to provide clear guidelines so that any impeachment case filed against Duterte is “procedurally airtight” and based on established jurisprudence.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the Supreme Court’s ruling focused on technicalities rather than the substance of last year’s impeachment complaint against the vice president.
The House has yet to resume sessions, and the motion for reconsideration remains pending before the Supreme Court, leaving lawmakers cautious about moving forward.
Acidre explained that if the motion for reconsideration is granted, the impeachment process could resume from where it left off, but until then all actions remain hypothetical.
Last year, 215 House members filed a fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte, citing alleged misuse of confidential funds, threats against officials, and other possible constitutional violations, but the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional under the one-year bar rule.