Calls to revisit the Supreme Court’s decision halting Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial are gaining ground in the Senate, as some lawmakers rally behind a resolution urging the high court to reconsider its ruling.
Senate Minority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri acknowledged on July 30 that a resolution was being circulated in the chamber, pushed by Senators Francis Pangilinan and Bam Aquino. The measure aims to prompt the Supreme Court to revisit its decision declaring the impeachment complaint against Duterte unconstitutional.
“I respect the views of my colleagues,” Zubiri said, but emphasized that the high court’s decision must be observed. “We must comply immediately with the Supreme Court’s decision, as it is clearly stated to be ‘immediately executory.’”
The Supreme Court earlier ruled that the complaint violated the one-year bar rule on initiating multiple impeachment cases against the same official, rendering the proceedings invalid.
Zubiri warned that efforts to override the court’s ruling through a Senate resolution could set a dangerous precedent. “We do not serve the public well by insisting on reopening matters already resolved by the Constitution’s final arbiter. That sends the wrong signal to the people and weakens the institutions we are sworn to protect,” he said.
He added, “Let’s not set a precedent that any group—whether it be the Senate or another organization—can undermine the Supreme Court through mere resolutions. The answer to a constitutional ruling is not political maneuvering. It is obedience.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros confirmed that she, along with Pangilinan and Aquino, was part of the group advocating for the resolution. They argue that the impeachment case should still proceed under the “fairness principle” and the “doctrine of operative fact.”
Supporters of the resolution include retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio and 1987 Constitution framer Christian Monsod. Carpio argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling imposes unrealistic procedural hurdles that could make future impeachment cases nearly impossible.
“The one-year-bar rule cannot apply to the fourth complaint because the first three were archived. The fourth was filed on time,” Carpio said during a media forum, citing a “basic error” that, in his view, warrants reconsideration.
