DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/August 5) — A city councilor here who was among the petitioners against the impeachment case on Vice President Sara Duterte said she and her fellow petitioners are “always ready” to defend their plea that the House of the Representatives’ move was unconstitutional.
Councilor Luna Acosta confirmed that she, along with the Torreon & Partners law firm, received on Monday the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives at the Supreme Court.
Acosta was one of the lawyers who filed a petition before the Supreme Court in the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, along with Atty. Israelito Torreon and Atty. Martin Delgra. Their petition argued that the impeachment was unconstitutional.
“I personally scanned it just last night, but we will study it thoroughly these coming days,” she said.
Acosta added that she and her co-petitioners are waiting if the SC will ask them to comment on the House’s petition or will proceed directly on the oral arguments. “We are always ready to answer whatever questions may arise,” Acosta said in a press conference at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Tuesday morning.
On July 25, the Supreme Court ruled that the House’s process of impeaching the vice president is barred by the one-year rule under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution and that it violates the right to due process.
The SC also ruled that any subsequent impeachment complaint against the vice president may only be filed starting February 6, 2026.
On Monday, the House, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), filed a 70-page motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court to reverse its earlier ruling.
The House argued that it should be allowed to carry out its exclusive constitutional duty to initiate impeachment proceedings, while the Senate should be the one to conduct the trial.
The House emphasized that it is not asking the Supreme Court “to be swayed by the politics of the moment, nor to abandon its rightful duty of judicial review,” but only to allow Congress to do its job as defined by the Constitution.
The House further urged the Supreme Court to remain neutral and not side with any political faction. Instead, it asked the Court to uphold the Constitution and the democratic process.
Four impeachment complaints were filed against the vice president: on December 2, 4, and 19, 2024 and February 5, 2025.
The fourth complaint was lodged by a resolution approved by more than one-third of the House of Representatives on February 5, and transmitted as the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate on the same day.
Two petitions were filed at the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the impeachment. One petition was filed by the vice president and the other by Davao City-based lawyers led by Israelito Torreon and city councilors, including Acosta, last February 18. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
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