Davao supporters file petition at SC to block VP Sara’s impeachment trial

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/18 Feb) — The vice mayor here and 20 city councilors, as well as other supporters of the Dutertes, have filed a petition before the Supreme Court to block the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Lawyers Martin Delgra and Israelito Torreon (both in Barong Tagalog) and Councilor Luna Acosta (4th from left) outside the Supreme Court after filing the petition for certiorari on Tuesday (18 February 2025). Photo from the Facebook page of Councilor Acosta

Filing the petition at the Supreme Court were lawyers Martin Delgra III, former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chief during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Israelito Torreon, counsel of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

Among the 29 petitioners were Vice Mayor J. Melchor Quitain and current city councilors under Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (HTL), Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), and PDP-Laban. HTL was founded by the former president in 2000, while HNP was formed by the vice president in 2018.

These councilors are Luna Maria Dominiques-Acosta, Bai Hundra Cassandra Dominique Advincula, Al Ryan Alejandre, Dante Apostol Sr., Conrado Baluran, Louie John Bonguyan, Jessica Bonguyan, Pilar Braga, Jonard Dayap, Edgar Ibuyan Jr., Richlyn Justol-Baguilod, Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, Diosdado Angelo Mahipus Jr., Bonz Andre Militar, Alberto Ungab, Trisha Ann Villafuerte, Lorenzo Benjamin Villafuerte, Jesus Joseph P. Zozobrado III, Rodolfo Mande, and Kristine May John Abdul Mercado.

Other petitioners were lawyers James Reserva and Hillary Olga Reserva and political vloggers Darwin Salcedo (also known as “Boss Dada”), Lord Oliver Cristobal (or “Coach Oli”), and Lord Byron Cristobal (or “Banat By”).

Duterte-allied city councilors not included in the petition were Marissa Abella, Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, and January Duterte, wife of Davao City first district Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte.

Other city councilors not in the list of petitioners are Javi Garcia-Campos, Bernard Al-ag, Nilo “Small” Abellera, and Wilberto Al-ag. These councilors were former Hugpong members but were expelled due to their support of Tingog Partylist, which the pro-Duterte camp alleged has contrary views as Hugpong.

Vice Mayor Melchor Quitain talks to the media on the petition filed at the Supreme Court on Tuesday (18 February 2025). MindaNews photo by IAN CARL ESPINOSA

In an interview with the media in his office Tuesday noon, Quitain, a lawyer, said he would want the Supreme Court to take a look at the process of Duterte’s impeachment, if it is “unconstitutional.”

“I believe there are some internal rules that were not followed after a closer scrutiny. If you look at the Constitution, the rules would appear to be a very simple process but there are internal rules there that apparently were not followed. That’s why the petition was filed,” Quitain said.

The vice mayor, however, did not mention any of the “internal rules that were not followed.”

Quitain said that despite being allies of Duterte, their move to petition the high court and their support for the vice president are “not in any way political.” He said they signed as ordinary citizens and as taxpayers of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Councilor Mahipus, who is among the petitioners, said that he hopes that the Supreme Court will take a look if the impeachment complaints against Duterte are “unconstitutional.” He said he wanted to know, too, if there was “grave abuse of discretion” on the part of the House of Representatives, or if the representatives disregarded basic rules and procedures in impeaching an official.

A lawyer as well, Mahipus said that personally, he cannot prejudge the outcome of the petition, but he believes that the SC is “fair and true to the laws and jurisprudence.”

“That’s why we sided with the petition because we believe there is a basis to declare the articles of impeachment as invalid,” he said.

Mahipus allowed the media to take pictures of select pages of his own copy of the “draft” of the petition.

In one of its pages, the draft stated that “impeachment is designed for occasional use, not to be invoked lightly, but reserved only for the most serious of offenses enumerated under the Constitution.”

One of the petitioners present in filing the petition for certiorari and prohibition before the SC is Councilor Luna Acosta, chair of the committee on peace and public safety, as seen in her Facebook post Tuesday morning.

Acosta the daughter of former Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chair Maria Belen Acosta, who was removed from her without notice when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Leo Tereso Magno to head MinDA.

A total of 240 representatives have signed the fourth impeachment complaint against the vice president, up by 25 after the complaint signed by 215 representatives was transmitted to the Senate on Feb. 5.

The first impeachment complaint, led by Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña, accused Duterte of betrayal of public trust for allegedly not properly accounting for P125 million in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President in 2022, and not liquidating cash advances amounting to P7 billion as Education secretary.

The second complaint, submitted on Dec. 4 by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, also accused the Vice President of betrayal of public trust for alleged misuse of confidential funds.

The third complaint, filed on December 19 by Catholic priests, civil society leaders and lawyers, alleged plunder, malversation, bribery, and graft and corruption in relation to the P125 million in confidential funds in 2022 for the OVP and P112.5 million in 2023 for the Department of Education. (Ian Carl Espinosa/ MindaNews)