Any individual or group may file a new impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte once the one-year bar rule expires on Feb. 6, according to a member of the House of Representatives.
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said the lapse of the constitutional prohibition would allow fresh impeachment attempts, even as the Supreme Court has yet to rule on a pending motion for reconsideration related to the case.
Ridon made the statement amid uncertainty following the high court’s earlier decision declaring the impeachment case against Duterte unconstitutional. A motion for reconsideration remains unresolved.
Speaking at a news briefing, Ridon said lawmakers cannot prevent groups or individuals from pursuing another impeachment complaint once the one-year bar rule ends. He noted, however, that the situation could pose complications for the House of Representatives, given the lack of clarity on how to proceed while awaiting the Supreme Court’s final ruling.
Ridon said it is unclear whether the House should strictly follow its existing impeachment rules as the motion remains pending. He stressed that a clear ruling is necessary, regardless of whether it favors the House, to determine if new guidelines will govern future impeachment proceedings.
The House, through the Office of the Solicitor General, earlier appealed the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the articles of impeachment against Vice President Duterte.
The high court had ruled that the constitutional one-year bar was violated when the fourth impeachment complaint was accepted by the House and later transmitted to the Senate of the Philippines as articles of impeachment.
Until the Supreme Court resolves the motion for reconsideration, Ridon said the legal and procedural questions surrounding impeachment remain unsettled.
