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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Cendaña dubs SC as 'Supreme Coddler' following dismissal of VP Duterte impeachment

Cendaña dubs SC as 'Supreme Coddler' following dismissal of VP Duterte impeachment

Published Jul 25, 2025 04:41 pm

At A Glance

  • Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña could not hide his disappointment with the Supreme Court (SC) over its decision Friday, July 25 to declare as unconstitutional the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)


Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña could not hide his disappointment with the Supreme Court (SC) over its decision Friday, July 25 to declare as unconstitutional the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
"The Supreme Court has reduced itself to being the Supreme Coddler of Vice President Sara Duterte," Cendaña said in a statement Friday afternoon minutes after the SC decision was made public.
"The dismissal of the impeachment sets a dangerous precedent," said the solon, who had served as lone endorser of one of four impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Duterte in the House of Representatives during the previous 19th Congress. 
Cendaña went as far to say that with this decision, "Lahat ng tiwaling politiko, pwedeng magtago sa likod ng Supreme Court at takasan ang pananagutan sa sambayanan."
(All corrupt politicians can now hide behind the Supreme Court to escape accountability from the people.)
With its ruling, the SC upheld the Vice President’s camp's position that the impeachment complaint submitted by the House to the Senate last Feb. 5 violated the one-year bar rule on such complaints.
Earlier Friday, Cendaña led the filing in the high court of a motion to intervene--meaning, a motion asking it to dismiss Vice President Duterte's petition, which challenges the constitutionality of the impeachment complaint lodged against her.
Cendaña filed the motion amid rumors of an imminent decision from the SC.
'Talo ang taumbayan'
Another Akbayan solon, Rep.Chel Diokno, was dismayed by the news coming from the SC, a co-equal branch of the legislature.
"Sa desisyong ito, talo ang taumbayan. Talo ang pananagutan (The people loses in this decision. So too does accountability)," Diokno said in a separate statement.
"Impeachment is about accountability. The process followed the constitution: the complaint was verified, endorsed by more than one-third of the House, at iisa lang ang kasong kinakaharap ni Vice President Sara Duterte (and Vice President Duterte is facing only one charge)," noted the lawyer-congressman.
"There was no violation of due process—only a demand to present the truth to the Filipino people," he added.
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