The Supreme Court (SC) gives the Senate, the House of Representatives and the House Secretary General 10 days to comment on the petition of Vice President Sara Duterte that seeks to nullify the fourth impeachment complaint against her.
Vice President Duterte had earlier filed before the SC the Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition with prayer for Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).
Duterte claimed that the impeachment compliant filed against her violated Article 11 Section 3, paragraph 5 of the Constitution which states that no impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within the period of one year.
“The Fourth Impeachment Complaint is prohibited by the One-Year Bar as respondent House of Representatives already took initial action by deliberately freezing the First Three Impeachment Complaints; respondent Senate should be enjoined from acting on the Fourth Impeachment Complaint,” Duterte stated in her petition.
The complaint against Duterte is still pending before the senate which has not yet convened as an impeachment court.
Vice President Duterte is facing impeachment complaint before the senate for the alleged misuse of the confidential funds under the Department of Education (Dep-ED) and the Office of the Vice President.
The SC has not acted yet on Duterte’s prayer for the issuance of the TRO.
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.