HOUSE prosecutor Rep. Jil Bongalon on Thursday slammed impeached Vice President Sara Duterte’s petition before the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to stop her impeachment, calling it a desperate and unprecedented move that no impeached official before her has ever attempted.
Bongalon, a House Assistant Majority Leader, emphasized that Duterte’s legal maneuver is a blatant attempt to block the trial rather than defend herself in the impeachment court, raising serious doubts about the strength of her case.
“This is a clear sign that the Vice President is afraid to face the evidence against her. If she truly believes she is innocent, why is she running to the Supreme Court instead of preparing her defense before the Senate? This move reeks of desperation,” said Bongalon, a lawyer and Ako Bicol Party-list House leader.
The House prosecutor pointed out that in the history of Philippine impeachment cases, no impeached official has ever sought to stop the process through the Supreme Court.
• Chief Justice Renato Corona (2012) faced trial in the Senate and was ultimately convicted. He never sought to block the proceedings before they began.
• Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (2018), despite questioning the process, did not ask the courts to stop her impeachment outright.
• Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (2011) opted to resign rather than contest the trial, but she, too, did not attempt to halt the process through judicial intervention.
“These officials, despite the charges against them, acknowledged the constitutional role of Congress in impeachment. They did not try to undermine the process by running to the Supreme Court. What VP Duterte is doing now is completely unprecedented,” Bongalon stressed.
Bongalon noted that the Vice President’s strategy is clear: stop the process before it even begins, rather than face the Senate and answer the allegations against her.
“This is not the action of someone who believes she can clear her name. Instead of presenting her defense, she wants to shut down the proceedings entirely. That is not how democracy and accountability work,” Bongalon said.
The House leader from Bicol explained that impeachment is not a judicial process but a political accountability mechanism entrusted solely to Congress. The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that impeachment is beyond judicial review, making Duterte’s petition not only desperate but also legally weak.
Bongalon also warned that Duterte’s move, if entertained by the Supreme Court, could set a dangerous precedent where future impeached officials could bypass Congress and use the judiciary as a shield from accountability.
“If the Supreme Court grants this petition, what stops any future impeached official from doing the same? It would render impeachment useless and severely weaken Congress’ ability to check abuses of power,” he warned.
He reiterated that impeachment is a mechanism enshrined in the Constitution to ensure that no public official is above the law. Allowing judicial interference would erode the separation of powers and undermine democratic institutions.
The House prosecutor urged the Vice President to face the process head-on instead of resorting to procedural roadblocks.
“If VP Duterte truly believes in her innocence, she should present her case in the impeachment court, not hide behind legal technicalities. The House is prepared to present solid evidence, and the people deserve to know the truth,” Bongalon said.
