The Supreme Court (SC) has rejected a petition filed by former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald Dela Rosa seeking a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and other officials.
In a statement released by the SC spokesperson, the high court confirmed that it received the Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition with Prayer for the Issuance of a TRO and/or Writ of Preliminary Prohibitory and Mandatory Injunction on March 11, 2025, at 4:27 p.m. The petition was raffled to a Member-in-Charge and uploaded to the SC website as per the Chief Justice’s instructions.
The SC also acknowledged receiving a Very Urgent Manifestation with Reiterative Prayer for the Issuance of a TRO and/or Writ of Preliminary Injunction later that evening at 11:17 p.m.
However, after a virtual deliberation on the 94-page petition, the Supreme Court found that the petitioners failed to establish a “clear and unmistakable right” to justify the immediate issuance of a TRO.
Despite the rejection, the SC has ordered the respondents to submit their comments on the petition within ten days, with no extension allowed.
On March 12, 2025, the SC received two separate petitions for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of Duterte, filed by Sebastian Z. Duterte and Veronica A. Duterte. These petitions seek to compel Executive Secretary Bersamin and other respondents to produce Duterte’s body before the Supreme Court and explain the circumstances of his alleged imprisonment.
Following the Chief Justice’s order, these petitions were raffled to a Member-in-Charge for appropriate action.
This legal development marks a significant turn in Duterte’s ongoing legal battles, as the SC’s rejection of the TRO suggests that the court requires stronger justification before granting immediate relief.