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Former senator and congresswoman-elect Leila de Lima (3rd-R) joins protesters as they gather to call for the start of the impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte outside the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay, Metro Manila on June 9, 2025.
AFP / Jam Sta Rosa
MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Leila de Lima has retracted her earlier claim that the Supreme Court (SC) acted "ex-parte" in striking down the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, admitting the statement was based on “patently wrong information.”
The former senator and justice secretary issued an apology on Saturday, saying it was not her intention to falsely accuse the high court of failing to consider the House of Representatives’ side.
“I regret and most humbly apologize to the Supreme Court for characterizing the impeachment decision as ex-parte,” De Lima said in a statement.
A legal proceeding is considered ex-parte when it is conducted for the benefit of one party without requiring the presence or input of the other side.
"It is plainly evident in the decision, which I was able to read only after the release of my Statement yesterday, that the House's comments in the two impeachment petitions were indeed considered by the Court," De Lima said.
"There is no excuse for this mistake and I bear full responsibility for the same," she added.
De Lima's retraction came a day after she criticized the Supreme Court ruling as “questionable” and “unprecedented,” calling out what she described as a procedural shortcut.
On Friday, she argued that the high court failed to follow Rule 65, Section 6 of the Rules of Court by not asking the House of Representatives, the principal respondent in the case, to file a formal comment.
Instead, she said the SC requested a list of impeachment-related documents, which she viewed as an irregular workaround.
The Supreme Court recently declared the House’s approval of the impeachment complaint against Duterte unconstitutional, citing violations of the one-year bar on multiple filings and a lack of due process.
Legal experts and lawmakers have since raised concerns that the ruling may set a precedent allowing judicial intervention in what has traditionally been a legislative process. — with a report from Dominique Nicole Flores
