Even as Congress remains in recess, some House leaders are already moving to overhaul the chamber’s impeachment procedures, saying new rules must withstand judicial scrutiny following the Supreme Court’s latest ruling involving Vice President Sara Duterte.
The push comes while the House of Representatives is still waiting for the high court to act on its motion for reconsideration questioning the decision that voided the impeachment case against Duterte. Lawmakers backing the revisions say the effort does not signal retreat from that pending challenge.
“Without conceding the pending motion for reconsideration, we will have to come up with rules that are ‘Supreme Court-proof’ and in a way cognizant with what the indications presented in the latest ruling on the third mode,” said Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, who chairs the House committee on higher and technical education.
Acidre said the chamber intends to adopt revised impeachment rules for the 20th Congress, aligning internal procedures with the Supreme Court’s recent interpretations. He argued that clearer standards would help prevent future cases from being derailed on procedural grounds.
“I’m sure when things are procedural and there’s greater clarity on the part of the House and more clear guidelines from the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence, I don’t think it’s going to affect the final result, which is to make sure that we have a strong impeachment complaint should an impeachment be filed in the House,” he said.
Another lawmaker, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, emphasized that the high court did not rule on the substance of the allegations raised against the Vice President. According to him, the decision focused on compliance with constitutional requirements rather than the merits of the complaints.
“The decision of the Supreme Court regarding the impeachment was more on the technicality and not on the merits of the case that we filed,” Adiong said.
For now, the House’s hands remain tied. Acidre noted that the motion for reconsideration is still pending before the Supreme Court, and the legislative session has yet to resume.
“With regard to the motion for reconsideration, it is still in the Supreme Court and we’re waiting for the Supreme Court action on that. So presumably if ever it is lifted or the motion for reconsideration is given due course, we expect the process will take off where it started, where it ended,” he said.
The impeachment effort against Duterte traces back to three complaints filed by private individuals and various groups on Dec. 2, Dec. 4, and Dec. 19, 2024. These were followed by a fourth complaint endorsed through a House resolution approved in February 2025 by 215 lawmakers, which cited alleged misuse of confidential funds, supposed threats against senior officials, and other potential constitutional violations.
On July 25, 2025, the Supreme Court voted 13-0-2 to strike down the articles of impeachment, ruling that they violated the Constitution’s one-year bar under Article XI, Section 3(5) and the right to due process under the Bill of Rights. The court also said the Senate never acquired jurisdiction over the case and clarified that any new impeachment complaint against the Vice President may only be filed starting Feb. 6, 2026.
