Cheyenne Suarez

Senators Bam Aquino (L), Senator Risa Hontiveros, and Senator Kiko Pangilinan (R) took a photo together during the opening session of the Senate in the 20th Congress. X/@bamaquino

Article (news)

Hontiveros, Aquino, Pangilinan urge SC to reconsider decision blocking VP Duterte's impeachment trial

Ched Rick Gatchalian

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753687736830Gw6O3BObsAAqvAq.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senators Bam Aquino (L), Senator Risa Hontiveros, and Senator Kiko Pangilinan (R) took a photo together during the opening session of the Senate in the 20th Congress. <em>X/@bamaquino</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Sens. Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and Kiko Pangilinan are in separate blocs at the Senate but were united Monday in urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision voiding the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying it risks silencing the process that keeps power in check.</p><p>In a joint statement, the senators said they &quot;respectfully disagree&quot; with the high court&#x27;s ruling.</p><p>&quot;Congress, acting in good faith and following prevailing jurisprudence, followed the law in initiating and transmitting the complaint. To retroactively apply a new definition of what it means to &quot;initiate&quot; an impeachment case — after the fact — can be likened to changing the rules in the middle of the game. It is unfair,&quot; the statement read.</p><p>They quoted former Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna, a respected constitutionalist and framer, who earlier warned of the consequence of the ruling.</p><p>Azcuna said the decision was legally correct but rather unfair, as the Court supposedly crafted &quot;a new definition&quot; of how an impeachment proceeding is initiated.</p><p>Former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has also defended the House of Representatives, saying it &quot;followed the Constitution to the letter&quot; when the majority backed one verified impeachment complaint against Duterte within the period set by the House rules.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/25/supreme-court-duterte-impeachment-articles-unconstitutional-1601">Supreme Court blocks VP Sara Duterte&#x27;s impeachment trial</a></div><p>Last Friday, the SC ruled in favor of a petition filed by Duterte&#x27;s legal team in February, which argued that the three complaints earlier filed in the lower chamber already initiated the impeachment proceedings —  thus violating the one-year bar under the Constitution.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>FAIRNESS PRINCIPLE</strong></div><p>Hontiveros, Aquino and Pangilinan urged the court to reconsider its decision and apply the Fairness Principle and the Doctrine of Operative Facts.</p><p>They said the former constitutes a principle &quot;that retroactive application of new legal interpretations should not harm those who relied in good faith on old ones&quot;, while the latter recognizes &quot;that actions already taken under a prior, valid interpretation should be recognized as legally effective.&quot;</p><p>The senators said the reconsideration would not undermine the high court&#x27;s power of review but would instead give &quot;proper and balanced effect&quot; among all branches of the government.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/25/what-lawmakers-said-on-sc-s-decision-to-block-sara-duterte-s-impeachment-trial-1909">Sara Duterte&#x27;s camp says SC ruling on impeachment &#x27;upheld the rule of law&#x27;</a></div><p>&quot;We did not swear an oath only to protect positions by way of technicalities. We swore to protect the Constitution — and the right of every Filipino to demand truth and justice,&quot; they explained.</p><p>They warned that allowing the ruling to serve as precedent risks the process of holding those in power accountable.</p><p>The senators called on Filipinos, the SC, and other institutions to &quot;harmonize the seemingly conflicting provisions of the Constitution on Judicial review and the exclusive powers of Congress.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/9/hontiveros-shrugs-off-reports-kiko-bam-will-join-senate-majority-1438">Hontiveros shrugs off reports Kiko, Bam will join Senate majority</a></div><p>This, after Aquino and Pangilinan officially joined the Senate majority bloc during the opening session of the Senate in the 20th Congress.</p><p>Hontiveros, a long-time political ally of the two, will be joining the minority bloc. She campaigned with and for Aquino and Pangilinan in recent midterm elections to supposedly complete the minority group.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cyba2wPotjY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dRwq2E7KQpg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Senators Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan are urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision halting the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying it could silence the process that keeps power in check.</p>

Senators Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan are urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision halting the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying it could silence the process that keeps power in check.