Supreme Court asked to prevent continuation of impeachment from 19th to 20th Congress

Vice President Sara Duterte, October 22, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Lawyer Israelito Torreon asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to prevent the continuation of the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte from the current 19th Congress to the 20th Congress.

Torreon filed a supplemental motion to the petition for certiorari and prohibition with a prayer for a temporary restraining order he filed last February.

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Torreon underscored that the impeachment trial cannot cross over from the present Senate to the next.

“Their own rules state that all pending matters and proceedings, and an impeachment case is a proceeding, so therefore where the law does not distinguish we should not distinguish, it is a basic rule in statutory construction,” Torreon said.

In his petition, Torreon reiterated that the court declared the articles of impeachment null and void for failure to meet constitutional requirements on verification and proper initiation of impeachment proceedings.

Torreon noted that the 19th Congress, including the terms of office of the current senators, would expire on June 30.

“Besides, common sense would tell us, how can you impose your proceedings to the next Congress? Can you impose upon the next Congress your proceedings? Of course not, you give a fresh authority, you give fresh discretion to the new senators,” Torreon said.

Torreon noted that the supplemental motion was not related to the remanding of the articles of impeachment by the Senate to the House of Representatives.

But he said he would file a manifestation agreeing with the motion of Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa to dismiss the complaint, which was later on amended into the remanding of the complaint to the House.

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“The matter of remanding to the House of Representatives is not also expressly provided for in the rules but is it prohibited? It’s not prohibited, if it’s not prohibited, then it can be done,” Torreon said.

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