MANILA – Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio is contesting the validity and constitutionality of the impeachment complaint against her by the House of Representatives.
Her Supreme Court petition seeks “judicial intervention from the High Court to uphold due process and raises serious legal and constitutional concerns.”
“The Vice President trusts that the Supreme Court will exercise its constitutional duty to safeguard democratic principles and uphold the rule of law,” said the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar Law, the firm representing Duterte-Carpio.
Aside from lawyers from the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar Law, also signed as Duterte-Carpio’s legal counsel in the petition is her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The respondents in the petition are the House of Representatives, represented by Speaker Martin Romualdez; the Senate, represented by Senate President Francis Escudero; and House Secretary General Reginald Velasco.
This was the second petition challenging the impeachment raps against Duterte-Carpio after a group of lawyers urged SC to issue a temporary restraining order against the conduct of the impeachment trial.
On Tuesday, a group of lawyers, led by Israelito Torreon and Martin Delgra III, and individuals from Mindanao filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition stating that the articles of impeachment were issued with grave abuse of discretion.
The group added that the impeachment complaint was processed without prior committee evaluation and absence or defect in the verification process.
The petitioners also prayed that the high court issued a TRO or writ of preliminary injunction directing the Senate to cease and desist from conducting impeachment proceedings.
They also asked SC to declare the articles of impeachment null and void and permanently enjoin the Senate from proceeding with a supposedly invalid impeachment complaint.
Duterte-Carpio was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of “violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.”/PN
