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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider VP Sara's impeachment archived: Defense team to focus now on responding to House appeal

VP Sara's impeachment archived: Defense team to focus now on responding to House appeal

Published Aug 7, 2025 08:50 am  |  Updated Aug 7, 2025 03:55 pm
While the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte acknowledged the Senate’s decision to archive the impeachment case, it maintained that its “focus” is on responding to the Motion for Reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives.

(From left) Vice President Sara Duterte and lawyer Michael Poa (Photos from Speaker's office, Facebook)
(From left) Vice President Sara Duterte and lawyer Michael Poa (Photos from Speaker's office, Facebook)
“The Defense Team acknowledges the Senate’s decision to adhere to the Supreme Court ruling and archive the Articles of Impeachment,” lawyer Michael Poa said in a statement on Wednesday night, Aug. 6.

This was after the Senate voted 19-4-1 to the motion of Senator Rodante Marcoleta to archive the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President despite a push by some senators to simply “table” it until the Supreme Court resolves the Motion of Reconsideration.

“Our focus now remains on submitting our Comment, in compliance with the High Court’s Order,” Poa added, referring to the Supreme Court’s order for the defense to respond within 10 days to the Motion for Reconsideration filed by the lower chamber.

Lawyers Israelito Torreon and Luna Acosta, who were among the petitioners who filed the case before the SC to block the impeachment, welcomed the Senate move to archive the articles of impeachment against Duterte.

"The Law Firm of Torreon and Partners, on behalf of the other petitioners, is also preparing its compliance to the SC's order for comment within the allotted 10-day period," Acosta said.

"We also welcome the Senate's decision and will wait for further developments," she added.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Aug. 7, Acosta posted a photo of the legal team with Duterte during a thanksgiving celebration.

Vice President Sara Duterte and the legal team handling her impeachment case (Photo from Konsi Atty Luna Acosta Facebook page)
Vice President Sara Duterte and the legal team handling her impeachment case (Photo from Konsi Atty Luna Acosta Facebook page)
"We still have to file a comment to the Motion for Reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives, but we are confident in our legal arguments and believe that due process and the rule of law remain supreme above all. Para sa bayan (For the country's sake)!," she wrote.

The motion seeks to reverse the earlier ruling of the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional the impeachment against Duterte, citing the one-year bar rule in the Constitution.

It also effectively strips the Senate impeachment court of its jurisdiction.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on Feb. 5 and transmitted seven Articles of Impeachment to the Senate on the same day.

The Senate, however, chose not to act on it, but assumed jurisdiction when session opened in June and remanded the Articles back to the House.

But on July 25, the Supreme Court ruled the impeachment as unconstitutional, saying it was “immediately executory.”

A Motion for Reconsideration was filed by the House of Representatives earlier this week.

Related Tags

Senate VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial Supreme Court House of Representatives
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