Vice President runs to the Supreme Court to stop impeachment

Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio went to the Supreme Court, filing a petition to stop the impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives, evading accountability once more.

Manuel Mogato | April 9, 2026

MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio went to the Supreme Court, filing a petition to stop the impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives, evading accountability once more.

The House of Representatives will begin a formal investigation next week to hear from witnesses and examine documentary evidence to determine if there is probable cause to elevate the impeachment proceedings to trial in the Senate.

Lawmakers have summoned the heads of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the Office of the Ombudsman to testify on April 14, the first of three-day hearings.

But the high court did not issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) and instead asked the respondents a non-extendable 10-day deadline to comment on the vice president’s petition.

It also consolidated an earlier petition from another lawyer to stop the impeachment proceedings, questioning the constitutionality of the process.

The two petitions centered on what the lower house called a “mini-trial” when it holds a preliminary hearing on the impeachment complaints against the vice president. (Also read: Vice President Sara Duterte skips House impeachment hearing)

Lawmakers said they’re not passing judgment on the merits of the cases, but were simply trying to determine if there were grounds to proceed with the impeachment process.

Last year, the Supreme Court struck down the impeachment proceedings after the lower house failed to observe the correct procedure.

Some lawmakers criticized the vice president for seeking legal relief from the high tribunal to evade accountability.

Duterte was accused of spending unwisely 125 million pesos in only 11 days in 2022, part of her confidential and intelligence funds. (Also read: Filipinos want accountability amidst economic issues—SWS survey)

There were allegations that she also amassed ill-gotten wealth from illegal sources, such as drug syndicates and illegal gambling operators.