Latest news with #SaraDuterte
Filipino Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Filipino Times
VP Sara Duterte says Philippines ‘deserves better' after SC voids impeachment
Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday said the country 'deserves better' leaders, following the Supreme Court's unanimous decision declaring the impeachment complaint against her as unconstitutional. 'Our country deserves better, and we shall stand tall, strong, and resilient against leaders whose greed will bring down our homeland. We deserve better,' Duterte said in a statement. The high court voted 13-0 to void the Articles of Impeachment filed against the Vice President, ruling that they violated the one-year bar on multiple impeachment attempts under Article XI, Section 3, Paragraph 5 of the Constitution. The court also found that her right to due process was violated. Duterte thanked her legal team for defending her 'even when no one else was willing to stand by [her].' She also expressed gratitude to the petitioners who challenged the impeachment, and to those who supported her amid the controversy. 'To those whose voices rang out in dissent against persecution — thank you. Your courage to speak the truth has been a source of strength,' she said. 'And to the parents, children, and silent supporters who offered their prayers for justice — thank you. Your quiet faith lifts me up.' The Supreme Court clarified that its decision does not clear Duterte of the charges against her, but noted that any new impeachment complaint may only be filed after February 6, 2026. The ruling is immediately executory, but the House of Representatives is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration, saying the decision was based on what it described as inaccurate findings that contradict official records. Meanwhile, Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero said the Senate will take up the Supreme Court ruling in a session scheduled for August 6.
GMA Network
a day ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Sara Duterte after SC ruling: We'll stand vs greedy leaders who'll bring PH down
Vice President Sara Duterte emphasized Wednesday that the Philippines 'deserves better' leaders, following the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) declaring the Articles of Impeachment against her as unconstitutional. 'Our country deserves better, and we shall stand tall, strong, and resilient against leaders whose greed will bring down our homeland. We deserve better,' the Vice President said in a statement. This came after the high court, voting 13-0, declared the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte as unconstitutional, saying that it was barred by the one-year rule under Article XI Section 3 paragraph 5 of the Constitution. The SC also found that the articles violated her right to due process. Duterte thus thanked members of her defense team for taking on her case 'even when no one else was willing to stand by [her].' She also extended gratitude to the petitioners 'for having the conviction to challenge the abuses of the House of Representatives.' 'To those whose voices rang out in dissent against persecution — thank you. Your courage to speak the truth has been a source of strength. And to the parents, children, and silent supporters who offered their prayers for justice — thank you. Your quiet faith lifts me up,' Duterte added. The SC decision is immediately executory but a motion for reconsideration may be filed. The SC had also emphasized that it is not absolving Duterte from any of the charges against her, but any subsequent impeachment complaint may only be filed starting February 6, 2026. The Senate is set to discuss the SC decision on August 6, 2025, according to Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero on Tuesday. The House of Representatives, meanwhile, is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration of the Supreme Court's decision to void the impeachment of Duterte, arguing that the ruling was based on what it described as incorrect findings that contradict official records. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
ICC has no authority to probe ex-Philippines president – Duterte's daughter
Sara Duterte, the daughter of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, has condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) for keeping her father in prison, saying it has no authority to investigate his alleged crimes. Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in March 2025, six years after the Philippines withdrew from the ICC, and was extradited to the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign, which some claim led to extrajudicial killings. He remains in detention in The Hague, denying the allegations and calling his arrest unlawful. 'They started investigating more than a year after we had withdrawn from the ICC,' Sara Duterte said at a rally of Philippines expats in Seoul, South Korea on Sunday. 'That means they shouldn't have investigated at all, there's only limited time during which they can act.' She argued that the ICC had no right to intervene beyond one year after withdrawal. 'Otherwise, what's to stop them from investigating cases a hundred years later? That's not acceptable. That's why the lawyers are asking for the case to be dismissed – because the court no longer has jurisdiction.' The ICC insists it has jurisdiction, saying the alleged crimes occurred while the Philippines was a member from 2011 to 2019, and has set the trial for September 23. Despite her criticism of the court, Duterte said her father would not flee or interfere with the investigation if released. 'He won't run. He's 80 years old and ill. If the ICC looks for him, they know where to find him. He'll just be in Davao City,' referring to Duterte's home city, where he was reelected mayor this spring while still in ICC detention. Critics have accused the ICC of neo-colonial bias for primarily prosecuting individuals from the Global South while not holding Western leaders accountable. The vast majority of criminal cases involve individuals from Africa. Sara Duterte, now the Philippines vice president, is facing impeachment on charges ranging from misuse of public funds to plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
House says SC can still reverse ruling on VP Sara impeach raps
"[O]n the part of the House, we believe that our actions on the impeachment are right and in accordance with our laws and the Constitution,' House spokesperson Princess Abante said on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. The House of Representatives believes the Supreme Court can still reverse its decision on the articles of impeachment filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, provided that it considers the official records of the House of Representatives involving the initiation of the impeachment case. 'The House will file a motion for reconsideration. It is up for the Senate to decide on how they will act on the impeachment complaint now, but on the part of the House, we believe that our actions on the impeachment are right and in accordance with our laws and the Constitution,' House spokesperson Princess Abante told reporters. 'The filing of MR is one of the legal actions we could take. Kung suntok sa buwan po iyan, iyan po ay kasama pa rin po sa pwede namin gawin. Kung maitatama naman po yung mga erroneous data where the Supreme Court decision were based upon, puwede pa rin naman po na mabago ang desisyon,' she added. (If it is shooting for the moon, well, that is still one of the remedies we could avail of. If we are able to correct the erroneous data where the Supreme Court based its decision, it can still change its mind.) The Supreme Court voided the impeachment case against the Vice President, saying it violated the one-year bar rule which only allows one impeachment complaint filed against an impeachable official per year. The Supreme Court, contrary to its two previous rulings, also said that House initiated more than one complaint because it 'initiated' another impeachment complaint by archiving the first three impeachment raps on February 5, an action that the House did after transmitting the consolidated impeachment complaint endorsed by over 215 House members to the Senate, also on February 5. The 215 signatories were more than the Constitutional requirement of one-third of the House members endorsing the impeachment complaint, a situation that allows the House to transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for the immediate holding of an impeachment trial, bypassing House justice panel deliberations. Prior to its decision on the Vice President's case, previous Supreme Court decisions in the Francisco v. House and Gutierrez v. House state that the initiation of the impeachment complaint starts with its referral to the House Committee on Justice. The first three impeachment complaints against the Vice President that were archived on February 5 were not referred by the House Secretary General to the House Justice panel. Further, the High Court said the House maxing out the 10 session days before acting on and archiving the first three impeachment complaints is also a grave abuse of discretion. The House, however, has argued that the consolidated impeachment case was Constitutionally-compliant because it met the Constitutional threshold of over one-third of House members endorsing it before being transmitted to the Senate. In addition, the House has also argued that the archiving of the first three impeachment complaints is not considered an initiation of an impeachment complaint as provided in the High Court decisions on the Francisco v. House and Gutierrez v. House cases. The Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President accuse her of: conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez; malversation of P612.5 million in confidential funds with questionable liquidation documents; bribery and corruption in the DepEd during Duterte's tenure by handing out cash to former DepEd Undersecretary Gloria Jumamil-Mercado (Procurement Head), Bids and Awards Committee Member Resty Osias, DepEd Chief Accountant Rhunna Catalan and Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda; unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets in the Vice President's Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth where her wealth increased by four times from 2007 from 2017; involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao City; destabilization, insurrection, and public disorder efforts, which include: boycotting the State of the Nation Address (SONA) while declaring herself "designated survivor," leading rallies calling for Marcos' resignation, obstructing congressional investigations by ordering subordinates not to comply with subpoenas, threatening bodily harm against the First Couple and Romualdez, among others; and the totality of the Vice President's conduct as the second highest official of the land. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
VP Sara 'ready' if another impeachment complaint will be filed in 2026 —spox
The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte remains ready should there be a new impeachment complaint filed against her in 2026, her defense team spokesperson said. 'Tignan natin ang mga developments, at kung dumating man ang pagkakataon na there will be another impeachment, sabi nga nila, subject to the one-year bar, we will be ready to face those allegations,' said Atty. Michael Poa in an Unang Balita interview on Tuesday. (Let's look at the developments, and if there will be another impeachment, as they say, subject to the one-year bar, we will be ready to face those allegations.) Voting 13-0, the Supreme Court (SC) earlier declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte as unconstitutional, saying that it was barred by the one-year rule under Article XI Section 3 paragraph 5 of the Constitution. The high court also found that the articles violated Duterte's right to due process. The SC decision is immediately executory but a motion for reconsideration may be filed. The high court, meanwhile, emphasized that it is not absolving Duterte from any of the charges against her, but any subsequent impeachment complaint may only be filed starting February 6, 2026. To recall, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Vice President was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. Duterte, in return, had entered a 'not guilty' plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her, which she called merely a 'scrap of paper.' Political pressure? Poa also answered allegations that the SC justices voted in favor of the Vice President as most of them were appointed by Sara's father, former president Rodrigo Duterte. 'Sana po ay respetuhin natin at igalang natin ang desisyon dahil medyo insulto naman siguro sa ating mga justices kung sabihin natin na nag-decide sila, one way or the other, for some political pressure,' he said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. (I hope we respect their decision because it might be a bit insulting to our justices if we say that they decided, one way or the other, because of some political pressure.) The House of Representatives has said it is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration of the Supreme Court's decision to void the impeachment of Duterte, arguing that the ruling was based on what it described as incorrect findings that contradict official records. At the Senate, impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol said it is set to vote whether to proceed with the deliberations after receiving the high court's ruling on the articles of impeachment filed against Duterte. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
