Photo courtesy of House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook.
The House of Representatives will comply with the Supreme Court ruling that voided the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, even as lawmakers consider revising internal rules they believe were affected by the decision, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor said on Monday.
Speaking after a hearing on separate impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Defensor said the House respects the ruling but remains dissatisfied, arguing that it intruded into matters traditionally left to the legislature.
He said the House committee on rules would move to amend impeachment procedures to make them clearer and more definitive, while remaining consistent with the 1987 Constitution and its intent.
Defensor expressed concern that the high court appeared to prescribe how the House should count session days and handle impeachment referrals, which he said are within Congress’ institutional authority.
In a July 25, 2025 decision, the Supreme Court declared the impeachment against Duterte void from the start for violating the one-year bar rule, effectively barring new complaints until February 6, 2026.
The court later clarified in a January 28 resolution that a session day refers to a calendar day when the House holds a session, a finding that lawmakers said ran counter to their long-standing interpretation.
Despite disagreements, Defensor said the House would integrate the ruling into revised impeachment rules as a sign of respect for the judiciary, while maintaining that constitutional provisions grant Congress exclusive authority to initiate and process impeachment cases.