Philippine House seeks reversal of Supreme Court ruling on VP Duterte impeachment

MANILA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine House of Representatives has filed a motion urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling that blocked the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said Monday.

In a statement, Romualdez said the House acted "in full compliance with the Constitution" when it transmitted the impeachment complaint against Duterte on Feb. 5.

The motion, submitted through the Office of the Solicitor General, argued that the Court had "misread the facts" and applied new rules retroactively, warning that the decision could undermine Congress's constitutional role and weaken people's right to hold officials accountable.

"This is not an act of defiance. It is an act of duty. We do not challenge the authority of the Court. We seek only to preserve the rightful role of the House, the voice of the people, in the process of accountability," Romualdez said.

Romualdez insisted that the House did not violate the constitutional one-year bar when it impeached Duterte.

He emphasized that the earlier three complaints were archived only after the Feb. 5 transmission of the fourth, which he said constituted the sole valid initiation of the fourth impeachment, in line with the Constitution's one-year bar.

On July 25, the Supreme Court unanimously voted to declare the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, preventing the Senate from assuming jurisdiction.

The Court said that Duterte was not absolved of the allegations and that a new complaint may only be filed after Feb. 6, 2026.

The Senate has yet to decide whether to appeal or abide by the Supreme Court ruling.■