Duterte eyes SC lawsuit as House pushes ouster

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

LAWYERS aligned with former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) have begun drafting potential legal challenges to impeachment proceedings against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, as a House of Representatives committee presses ahead with gathering evidence and summoning witnesses.

Pro‑Duterte lawyers James Patrick “Jimmy” R. Bondoc and Israelito P. Torreon said they prepared a preliminary “mini-draft” of a possible petition to the Supreme Court (SC) questioning actions taken by the House Justice Committee during its opening hearing on the impeachment case.

The draft focuses on whether the panel exceeded its constitutional mandate by issuing subpoenas and conducting evidentiary proceedings that critics say resemble a trial.

“We have not been tasked by anyone to challenge this before the Supreme Court,” Mr. Bondoc told a livestreamed briefing on Thursday. “We did this in the interest of justice.”

He noted that based on lawmakers’ public statements, it would be “very easy to rebut” the allegations raised against Ms. Duterte.

Mr. Bondoc characterized the draft petition as an “academic exercise,” but said procedural violations were difficult to ignore. “We wrote it because it was too easy to write,” he said. “The violations are too blatant.”

PDP-Laban and its legal allies argue that the House Justice Committee has overstepped its role by proceeding beyond a determination of probable cause. Under the Philippine Constitution, impeachment trials are conducted exclusively by the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.

“Only the Senate sitting as an impeachment court can conduct a trial,” Manuelito R. Luna, a former commissioner of the Presidential Anti‑Corruption Commission, told the same briefing in Filipino. He added that the House body’s actions could be struck down by the Supreme Court for grave abuse of discretion if formally challenged.

The House Justice Committee has moved into the evidentiary phase of the impeachment inquiry, issuing subpoenas for financial records and ordering multiple agencies to submit documents.

Lawmakers sought Ms. Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth dating back to 2007, along with tax filings, corporate records linked to her business interests, and materials tied to an alleged threat against President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

Committee leaders said the documents are needed to determine whether there is sufficient basis to endorse the complaints to the full House for a vote. At least 106 lawmakers must support the complaints for the case to advance to the Senate.

The panel also summoned witnesses tied to alleged cash distributions for corrupt activities and officials involved in the management of confidential and intelligence funds, a central issue in the complaints.

The Vice-President skipped the opening hearing, with her legal team arguing that the House lacked authority to conduct proceedings akin to a trial. Committee leaders rejected the claim, framing the inquiry as a preliminary investigation under House rules.

The impeachment complaints accuse Ms. Duterte of misusing hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential funds, amassing wealth disproportionate to her income and plotting actions against senior government officials — allegations she has denied.

The proceedings unfold amid a widening political rift between the Duterte and Marcos camps ahead of the 2028 presidential race, heightening the stakes after a previous impeachment attempt was voided on constitutional grounds.