MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Impeachment Court will proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, Sept. 28, unless the Supreme Court issues a restraining order or status quo ante order, court spokesman Reginald Tongol said.
Tongol said the Office of the Solicitor General will represent the Impeachment Court before the high tribunal as provided by law, following the filing of separate petitions by lawyers Victor Rodriguez and Ernesto Francisco challenging the court’s Sept. 23 ruling on the voting threshold.
“The Impeachment Court notes the media reports concerning two separate Petitions for Certiorari filed before the Supreme Court by Atty. Victor D. Rodriguez and Atty. Ernesto Francisco, which seek provisional remedies against this Court’s September 23, 2026 ruling on the voting threshold,” Tongol said in a statement.
“At present, the Senate as an Impeachment Court has not received official notice or copies of these petitions, nor has it received any directive from the Supreme Court,” he added. “As a co-equal branch of government acting as a constitutional tribunal, the Impeachment Court cannot act on the basis of news reports; its actions are guided strictly by official judicial processes.”
“Should the High Court give due course to these petitions and require the Senate’s comment, its legal counsel, in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), is fully prepared to defend the constitutional prerogatives and procedural rulings of the Impeachment Court,” Tongol said.
In the absence of a restraining order or status quo ante order from the Supreme Court, Tongol said the Impeachment Court remains bound by its constitutional mandate.
“The trial will proceed as scheduled on Monday, September 28, 2026 from 10 a.m. up to 3 p.m.,” he said.
