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Philippine High Court junks bid to halt VP Duterte's impeachment hearings
The court ruled the case moot because the HOR had long concluded the proceedings and the impeachment trial by the Senate had been ongoing for a month already
- PUBLISHED: Wed 5 Aug 2026, 1:45 PM UPDATED: Wed 5 Aug 2026, 2:18 PM
The Philippine Supreme Court (SC) dismissed consolidated petitions filed by Vice President Sara Duterte and lawyer Israelito Torreon seeking to halt impeachment proceedings by the House of Representatives (HOR).
The High Court ruled the case moot because the HOR had long concluded the proceedings and the impeachment trial by the Senate had in fact been ongoing for exactly a month already.
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In separate pleadings, Duterte and her supporters led by Torreon asked the SC to issue cease orders against the HOR in March and April, respectively. They said the HOR Justice Committee exceeded its power during the initial hearings and evidence gathering.
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In its en banc session today, the SC said the petitions no longer required resolution, allowing the Senate to continue the ongoing trial.
The SC explained that 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. As a result, the actions the petitioner sought to stop had already been completed.
Welcome decision
Representative Terry Ridon, one of the 11 public prosecutors in the impeachment case, was quick to welcome the Court’s decision, saying the Justice Committee had been affirmed and vindicated.
“With this decision, all talk about the ‘mini-trial’ and ‘fishing expedition’ that the Vice President's camp has repeatedly promoted is over,” Ridon said.
“The only fight for truth and accountability is now in the Senate Impeachment Court. We have high confidence that at the end of this battle, truth, accountability and the people will prevail,” he added.
There is no statement from Duterte, who is abroad, as yet.
What has happened so far
The impeachment trial opened with deliberations on Duterte's assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, First Lady Liza Marcos and former HOR Speaker and the president’s cousin Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
The Impeachment Court has ended its fifth week of trial on Wednesday, shifting its focus away from Duterte’s personal conduct and threats to a deep inspection of how she allegedly misspent hundreds of millions of state funds.
After 13 days of actual hearings, the court is currently questioning auditors who flagged the vice president's alleged misuse and questionable liquidation of millions in confidential and intelligence funds.
Two bank managers have testified that Duterte's subordinates withdrew funds in cash in amounts they said they have never seen in their respective three decade-long careers.
From Monday, former Commission on Audit (COA) inspector Roderick Wamil testified that Duterte’s liquidation documents, acknowledgment receipts, and multi-million-peso encashments followed did not follow regulatory standards.
Wamil added that Duterte may have misused and misappropriated a total of P612.5 million (Dirham 37 million) as Philippine vice president and education secretary between 2022 and 2024.
The COA earlier ordered Duterte and other accountable officials to return a total of P448 million (Dirham 26.65 million) in disallowed confidential funds.
Where is the trial headed?
Another COA auditor is set to provide testimonies of alleged fund misuse by the vice president. The HOR prosecution panel have also asked the Court to summon Duterte’s disbursement officers to explain withdrawals of up to P125 million (Dirham 75 million) in “unusual” single cash transactions.
Thereafter, the prosecutors shall move on to Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth and wrongful declaration of assets, as well as bribery and graft and corruption.
The impeachment trial is calendared for 79 more dates. At the current pace of three hearings a week, the Philippines’ biggest political spectacle is expected to last until the end of the year.