Jamaine Punzalan

Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for the presidency in the 2028 national elections during a press conference at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

VP SARA DUTERTE

Adrian Ayalin

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177745257869920260218-vp-sara-duterte-presidency-MT4 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for the presidency in the 2028 national elections during a press conference at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday clarified that the term “forthwith” mentioned in the Constitution in relation to impeachment cases means “within a reasonable time, which may be longer or shorter, depending on the circumstances of each case.”</div><p>The constitutional provision mandates the Senate to &quot;forthwith proceed&quot; to a trial after an official has been impeached by House lawmakers.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/20/diokno-on-sara-duterte-impeachment-trial-forthwith-is-agad-agad-na-gawin-2122">Diokno on Sara Duterte impeachment trial: &#x27;Forthwith is agad-agad na gawin&#x27;</a></div><p>When the first batch of impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte reached the Senate last year, debates tackled whether “forthwith” meant that the convening of the Senate as an impeachment court was immediate or not.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/18/pimentel-urges-escudero-to-start-sara-duterte-s-impeachment-trial-immediately-1020">Pimentel urges Escudero to start Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial immediately</a></div><p>The clarification of the SC was made in the 14-0-1 decision of the en banc reached during its session day on April 29, 2026, dismissing the petition for mandamus filed by lawyer Catalino Generillo, Jr.</p><p>In his petition filed last year, Generillo urged the high court to direct the Senate  to constitute themselves into an impeachment court to “forthwith” conduct the public trial of the Vice President. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/3/escudero-reiterates-vp-duterte-impeachment-trial-cannot-start-while-senate-on-recess-1404">Escudero reiterates VP Sara impeachment trial cannot start while Senate on recess</a></div><p>The court further stated in its decision that “reasonable time” would allow the Senate to make necessary preparations to convene as an impeachment court.</p><p>“While the Constitution does not set an exact date for the trial, the Senate must avoid undue delay to uphold the principle that public officers must at all times be accountable to the people,” the SC said in a statement on the decision written by Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda.</p><p>“Contrary to the petitioner’s claim, the SC found that the Senate acted on the impeachment complaint in a timely manner,” the court added.</p><p>The SC, however, considered Generillo’s petition moot because the Senate had begun impeachment preparations and the articles of impeachment against the Vice President were nullified by the decision of the court on July 25, 2025.</p><p>The decision was affirmed and the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives was denied with finality on January 28, 2026.</p><p>“Since no Articles of Impeachment remained, the SC had no reason to order the Senate to convene as an impeachment court,” the SC said.</p><p>The SC also noted that mandamus, as prayed for by Generillo, was not the proper remedy. </p><p>The court ruled that the Senate’s actions cannot be controlled nor revised by the judiciary through mandamus.</p><p>“As a co-equal constitutional body, the Senate’s exercise of its duties is beyond the SC’s power of review, except in cases of grave abuse of discretion,” the SC said. </p><p>The SC also said that while the Constitution requires the House of Representatives to act within a certain number of session days on an impeachment complaint, it does not specify a fixed timeframe for the Senate to start an impeachment trial. </p><p>“It simply provides that the trial ‘shall forthwith proceed,’ leaving the timing to the Senate’s discretion,” the SC said. </p><p>The SC said Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen concurred only in the result, that the petition was moot. </p><p>&quot;However, he was of the position that the impeachment court should have been convened immediately and that the impeachment court—not merely the Senate President—should have taken charge of organizing that court,&quot; the SC said.</p><p>Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa took no part.</p><p>Duterte is facing a fresh impeachment bid, which the House justice panel on Thursday said had sufficient <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/29/house-finds-probable-cause-duterte-impeachment-now-up-to-plenary-1618">probable cause</a> to be sent to a plenary vote.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><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/-57kIr6C7Ww?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div>

<p>The Supreme Court on Wednesday clarified that the term “forthwith” mentioned in the Constitution in relation to impeachment cases means “within a reasonable time, which may be longer or shorter, depending on the circumstances of each case.”</p>

The Supreme Court on Wednesday clarified that the term “forthwith” mentioned in the Constitution in relation to impeachment cases means “within a reasonable time, which may be longer or shorter, depending on the circumstances of each case.”

Supreme Court says ‘forthwith’ in impeachment cases means ‘within reasonable time’

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Supreme Court says ‘forthwith’ in impeachment cases means ‘within reasonable time’

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 29, 2026 04:55 PM PHT

|

Updated April 29, 2026 06:16 PM PHT

Read More:

impeachment

forthwith

SC

Supreme Court

Sara Duterte

Senate

House of Representatives

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