MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday dismissed petitions filed by Vice President Sara Duterte and lawyer Israelito P. Torreon seeking to halt the impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives, ruling that the challenges had become moot after the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate.
The Court en ban, in a resolution, said, "The House's transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment marked the end of the House's role in the impeachment process and the initiation of the impeachment case."
The High Court noted that the Senate had convened as an impeachment court and had begun proceedings, making any ruling on the legality of the House Committee on Justice’s actions incapable of producing any practical legal effect.
The ruling effectively removes the last pending judicial challenge to the House proceedings, allowing the impeachment trial to move forward exclusively before the Senate.
The petitions challenged the House Committee on Justice's authority to gather evidence, compel witnesses to testify, and determine that the impeachment complaints were sufficient in form, substance and grounds during the preliminary stages of the proceedings.
In its resolution, however, the Court held that the acts sought to be restrained had been completed, leaving no justiciable controversy for judicial review.
The high tribunal likewise declined to invoke the recognized exceptions to the mootness doctrine, saying none applied in the present case despite the constitutional issues raised by the petitioners.
The ruling effectively leaves the impeachment case in the hands of the Senate, which has exclusive authority to try and decide impeachment cases under the Constitution.
In a separate ruling released the same day, the high court granted writs of amparo and habeas data to human rights lawyer Rey A. Gorgonio and fellow petitioners Joselito B. Macapobre, Analyn S. Mirano, and Ma. Anabelle Ilustrisimo.
