SC seeks Congress' comment on Sara Duterte impeachment petition

The Supreme Court (SC) has directed the House of Representatives and the Senate to submit their comments on Vice President Sara Duterte’s petition challenging the impeachment complaint against her.

In a press briefing, SC spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting said the SC En Banc ordered Congress to respond within a non-extendible period of 10 days.

Duterte, in her petition filed last week, questioned the validity and constitutionality of the impeachment complaint.

She argued that it should be declared null and void as it violated the Constitution’s one-year ban on filing multiple impeachment complaints. She pointed out that the House had already acted on three prior complaints by not forwarding them to the Speaker’s office, among other reasons.

Ting also noted that the SC is assessing whether Duterte’s petition should be consolidated with another case filed by Mindanao lawyers, who are seeking a cease-and-desist order to stop the Senate from proceeding with the impeachment trial.

“The Supreme Court is still studying whether these cases should be consolidated,” Ting said.

Meanwhile, a separate petition urged the SC to compel the Senate to immediately convene as an impeachment court, arguing that the Constitution does not allow delays even during recess. — DVM, GMA Integrated News