Protesters call on SC to overturn impeachment ruling
More than a hundred protesters from progressive groups gathered on Padre Faura Street in Manila on Tuesday morning to urge the Supreme Court (SC) to overturn its ruling that declared as unconstitutional the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The nearly three-hour protest was led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), anticorruption group Tama Na and other concerned citizens, some of whom have also filed their motions for reconsideration and a formal letter to the high court.
“We believe the court’s ruling is utterly wrong, and fortunately, there is still a chance to correct it. If the Supreme Court does not change this, this fight will end up in the streets,” said Bayan chair and former lawmaker Teddy Casiño.
The protest coincided with the high tribunal’s scheduled en banc session, with activists hoping it would at the very least accept the motions for reconsideration filed by different groups since the start of the month.
“We know it’s difficult to overturn a unanimous decision but perhaps, given the glaring factual errors in the ruling and the Supreme Court’s glaring overreach, this might be one of those rare occasions when it reverses itself,” Casiño said.
Matter not discussed
SC spokesperson Camille Ting said the motions for reconsideration were included in the agenda during the en banc session. However, “no action was taken” on the matter, she told reporters in a Viber message.
Duterte was impeached on Feb. 5 after 215 lawmakers endorsed a fourth impeachment complaint, fast-tracking its transmittal to the Senate for trial.
She was accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust over the alleged misuse of confidential funds and her death threat against President Marcos.
In February, Duterte and a group of Mindanaoan lawyers filed separate petitions before the SC challenging the impeachment complaint against her.
On July 25, the high tribunal declared the articles of impeachment unconstitutional for violating the 1987 Constitution’s one-year bar rule and Duterte’s right to due process.
It noted that the first three impeachment complaints filed in December 2024 were archived, terminated or dismissed on the same day the fourth complaint was filed.
