House to revise impeachment rules after SC ruling

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January 30, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will revise accordingly its impeachment rules after the Supreme Court denied the motion for reconsideration of the SC’s earlier ruling declaring as unconstitutional the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“As a member of the House prosecution team and of the House committee on justice, I will confer with my colleagues on how best to revise the rules on impeachment as we deem fit and in ways that comply with the Supreme Court decision,” Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua said.

“We will receive inputs from the complainants, some of whom are now members of the House,” Chua added.

Chua, who chairs the House committee on good government and public accountability, said it is possible that the composition of the prosecution team will have some changes.

“While I do not agree with the Supreme Court decision, we will abide by it because as a lawyer, I am an officer of the court and swore to respect and uphold our system anchored on the rule of law,” Chua said.

For his part, Bukidnon 2nd district Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores said that Congress will heed the Supreme Court as final arbiter on constitutional and legal matters.

“There still might be some elbow room on how the House can reflect the due process requirements stated in the SC decision but still upholding the constitutional prerogatives and authority of the House on impeachment matters,” Flores said.

Be creative

Lawyer Rene Sarmien to, one of the framers of the Constitution, told “Storycon” on One News that he expected the House to be “creative” in abiding by the SC ruling while asserting its exclusive power on impeachment.

Flores said that the new House Rules on Impeachment must be carefully worded. “I fully understand the intent of the Supreme Court on infusing due process into the impeachment process. We will read the decision and separate opinions in their minute details. We will then work out the precise statutory construction necessary to revise the impeachment rules,” Flores said. “We were prepared for this.”

For her part, House deputy minority leader and ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said that the SC ruling is not a vindication for Duterte.

“SC’s ruling rests on technicality. We can use it in the next filing. Still not a vindication. No name has been cleared yet,” De Lima said in a post on X.

Judicial legislation

Senate President Vicente Sotto III reiterated his stance against the Supreme Court decision, calling it a form of “judicial legislation.”

“It is a sad day for Constitutional Law students and professors. The Constitution had just been amended unconstitutionally through Supreme Court overreach,” Sotto said yesterday.

“It will take decades of retirements to correct this misinterpretation. When the law is clear, there is nothing to interpret, as any first-year law student knows,” he added.

Sotto said his position is not because of his opinion of the Vice President, but because of the Supreme Court ruling which laid down more requirements in impeaching an official, making the process more difficult.

“It’s on the SC decision. It does not matter if VP or others,” Sotto said.

Sotto said the Supreme Court committed “judicial legislation” in requiring a more tedious process for the House of Representatives to initiate an impeachment.

“The decision is a clear judicial legislation. The SC, as written in their decision, admitted of introducing a rule for Congress to follow in the conduct of impeachment. A clear encroachment on the power of the legislative branch, as provided for by the Constitution,” Sotto said.

“Impeachment is now an impossible dream!” he added.

The House of Representatives respects the Supreme Court decision declaring the articles of impeachment against Vice President Duterte as unconstitutional.

“The House of Representatives acknowledged the decision of the Supreme Court in connection with the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte,” Speaker Faustino Dy III said.

Restrictive provisions out

Meanwhile, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said the SC has abandoned the most restrictive due process requirements imposed in its original ruling on the House impeachment process.

Ridon said the high court, in resolving the motion for reconsideration on its earlier decision, recalibrated its position and adopted standards that are more workable and consistent with the Constitution.

“The Supreme Court, in resolving the Motion for Reconsideration on its prior ruling involving the House impeachment process, has effectively abandoned the most restrictive due process requirements imposed in the original decision,” Ridon said.

Refile complaint

The Makabayan bloc yesterday said they are ready to refile the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte after the Supreme Court declared with finality that the impeachment against her is unconstitutional.

“The Makabayan bloc takes note of the Supreme Court En Banc’s decision denying with finality the Motion for Reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives assailing the Court’s earlier ruling that declared the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional,” ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Jane Elago and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co said in a joint statement.

Despite this adverse ruling, the Makabayan lawmakers said that they still believe that the issues raised in the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte—including her alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes—remain valid and must be addressed through the proper constitutional process.

Protests

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) lambasted the SC’s ruling as it created additional hurdles for citizens seeking to hold the highest officials of government accused of corruption accountable.

Apart from filing an impeachment case against Duterte, Bayan president Renato Reyes said they are mobilizing rallies for the 40th anniversary of the EDSA people power revolution on Feb. 25.

Reyes said the modes of accountability for government officials should be in favor of the people. “Holding the corrupt accountable should be made accessible and realizable, not impossible,” he said. — Emmanuel Tupas, Marc Jayson Cayabyab