The Supreme Court on Friday issued its full court decision declaring the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar under Article XI of the 1987 Charter.
The high tribunal pointed out that the fourth complaint filed on February 5 came within a year of earlier complaints submitted in December 2024. It also ruled that the impeachment process violated Duterte’s right to due process under the Bill of Rights.
The Senate, therefore, cannot proceed with the trial, the SC said.
It isn’t immediately clear if the Senate will recognize the SC ruling, especially after an earlier comment from Senate President Francis Escudero on the primacy of the Senate in matters involving impeachment cases, as provided in the Constitution.
Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, who penned the decision, stressed that impeachment, while political in character, is fundamentally a constitutional process and thus subject to judicial review.
However, the high court clarified that its decision doesn’t absolve VP Duterte of the charges contained in the impeachment complaint. It said a new impeachment complaint may only be filed beginning February 6, 2026.
The impeachment stemmed from four complaints, the last of which had the backing of over one-third of House members. Two legal petitions were later filed questioning its legality, prompting Friday’s landmark ruling.
All 14 SC justices who participated in the deliberations backed the ruling penned by Leonen. Justice Maria Filomena Singh is on medical leave.
