BUTUAN CITY – On February 19, 2025, a group of Mindanao lawyers, led by Atty. Israelito Torreon, Atty. Martin Delgra, and Atty. James and Hillary Olga Reserva from Butuan, filed a Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition against the fourth impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The petition cited three main legal grounds.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo Butuan, Atty. James Reserva said that their first ground was the failure of the congressmen to comply with the requirement of verification for the impeachment complaint. He emphasized that under Article XI, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution, the complaint must be verified before submission.
The second ground raised by the lawyers was the lack of due process in the handling of the impeachment complaint against VP Duterte. They argued that the proper procedures had not been followed.
The third ground was the failure of congressmen to act on the first three impeachment complaints within the required 10 days and their exclusion from the order of business, contrary to the provisions of the Constitution.
Atty. Reserva also pointed out that the first three impeachment complaints appeared to have been disregarded, while the House awaited the push for the fourth complaint, an action they claimed violated the law.
In a separate interview with the same radio station, Atty. Hillary Olga Reserva, stated that many legal minds in the Philippines have questioned the constitutionality of the actions taken by the House of Representatives in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to the lawyer, the issue is not whether the Vice President should be impeached, but rather whether the process followed by lawmakers in initiating the impeachment is legal.
The group of lawyers had earlier prepared to submit their case to the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Duterte.
They are hopeful that the Supreme Court will rule in their favor, especially since, according to the lawyer, 32 million Filipinos voted for Vice President Duterte in the last election.
