ASEANEWS HEADLINE-VP SARA IMPEACHMENT | MANILA: VP Sara allies file third appeal to SC to stop impeachment

The petition, filed on Friday by 14 individuals, was led by former Commission on Higher Education commissioner Ronald Adamat, along with members of the One Bangsamoro Movement and lawyers headed by Jerryl Rondez-Layog.

They asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) or a writ of preliminary injunction to suspend the proceedings at the House of Representatives, particularly those before its committee on justice.

Petitioners claimed the impeachment process was “constitutionally defective,” arguing that not all lawmakers were furnished copies of the complaints—an alleged lapse they said prevents full and informed participation.

“The constitutional condition for informed plenary participation is absent,” the petition read.

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“The referral process is thereby tainted by grave abuse of discretion because it converts what Duterte recognized as a deliberative constitutional stage into a hollow procedural passage controlled by officers rather than meaningfully owned by the House as a whole,” it added.

The latest move follows earlier petitions filed separately by Duterte and her lawyer, Israelito Torreon, also seeking to nullify the proceedings.

Earlier plea denied

The new petition comes after the Supreme Court declined to issue a TRO on Duterte’s earlier plea to stop the impeachment.

Instead, the tribunal consolidated all petitions related to the case and directed the House justice committee to submit its comment within 10 days.

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With no restraining order in place, hearings have continued.

The proceedings are set to resume on April 14 as the committee moves to examine evidence, witnesses, and memoranda.

2 complaints under review

Of the four impeachment complaints filed against Duterte, only the third and fourth remain pending before the House committee on justice. The first complaint was dismissed due to the one-year bar rule, while the second was withdrawn by its sponsors.

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The remaining complaints revisit allegations raised in 2025, including the alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery, and culpable violation of the Constitution.

Unless the Supreme Court issues a restraining order, the impeachment proceedings are expected to proceed.

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