SC dismisses petitions challenging impeachment proceedings vs Sara Duterte

On Aug. 5, the Supreme Court dismissed two petitions that claimed the impeachment proceedings from complaints filed this year with the House of Representatives against Vice President Sara Duterte were unconstitutional. 

In a press briefer, the SC upheld the impeachment complaints filed before the House and its Committee on Justice, saying the issues raised in the petitions "had become moot."

These "no longer required resolution because the House had already approved and transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate," the briefer read.

The dismissed petitions were filed separately by Atty. Israelito P. Torreon and others, and by the vice president. Collectively, the petitioners said the House Committee on Justice "exceeded its constitutional authority by gathering evidence and compelling witnesses to appear during its initial review of the impeachment complaints."

The petitioners also challenged the Justice Committee's findings that said the complaints "were sufficient in form, substance, and grounds."

In its briefer, the SC explained the House's role in the impeachment process ended when the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate. Therefore, the actions the petitioners filed to stop had already been accomplished. 

Further, the SC underscored that the impeachment process was already underway in the Senate, rendering pointless any ruling on the validity of the actions of the House and its Committee on Justice.