politics
Supreme Court Takes No Action on Duterte Petition to Stop Impeachment Proceedings
The Supreme Court did not issue a temporary restraining order on the renewed impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, allowing the House to advance the complaint. A false Facebook post claiming the court blocked the proceedings spread widely on April 28, 2026. The House justice panel approved articles of impeachment on May 4, with a plenary vote set for May 11.
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The Supreme Court has not issued any temporary restraining order or other directive in response to a petition filed by Vice President Sara Duterte seeking to stop the ongoing impeachment proceedings against her. According to a fact check by Rappler, no such Supreme Court order exists that would block the 2026 impeachment case.
The House justice panel proceeded with its public hearing on the impeachment complaint. On May 4, 2026, six days after an inaccurate social media post circulated, the panel approved its report and the resolution setting forth the articles of impeachment.
The complaint has since been elevated to the House plenary, where a vote is expected on May 11, 2026. A one-third vote in the House would send the articles to the Senate for trial.
The impeachment complaint accuses Vice President Sara Duterte of misusing public funds, amassing ill-gotten wealth, and making death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In January 2026, the Supreme Court had ruled that a prior impeachment complaint against her was unconstitutional because it violated the one-year bar rule on impeachment.
That ruling does not apply to the current proceedings.
A social media post that featured a composite photo of Duterte, House justice committee chair Gerville Luistro, House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima, House justice committee members Terry Ridon and Joel Chua, and Supreme Court justices including Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo claimed in Filipino that the Supreme Court had decided to stop the impeachment and issued an ultimatum to the House.
