The supreme court has ruled that the 2025 impeachment against vice president sara duterte was unconstitutional due to procedural flaws. This decision does not clear her of wrongdoing but blocks the process for now. New complaints have already been filed by progressive groups.
On january 28, 2026, the supreme court unanimously affirmed that the impeachment complaint against vice president sara duterte filed in 2025 was unconstitutional. The court found that the house of representatives did not follow proper rules, particularly in defining 'session days' for the one-year bar on successive impeachments. This ruling, detailed in g.r. no. 278353, emphasized that the impeachment process must adhere strictly to constitutional timelines, effectively redefining session days as calendar days to prevent rushed filings.
The decision clarifies that duterte is not proven innocent; it merely halts the proceedings due to procedural errors. Progressive groups and civil society organizations responded swiftly, filing two new impeachment complaints on february 2, 2026, against the vice president. These complaints cite alleged misuse of confidential funds, including payments to aliases like 'mary grace piattos,' a name combining a restaurant and snack brand.
Duterte's defense team, led by lawyer michael poa, stated they are prepared to reveal the identity of 'mary grace piattos' if a senate trial proceeds. Poa told radio dzmm that disclosing such details in the impeachment forum would not violate confidentiality rules under republic act 3019. The controversy stems from 2022, when house deputy speaker jay khonghun revealed that 'piattos' received the largest share of p125 million in office of the vice president confidential funds, liquidated via 158 allegedly fabricated acknowledgment receipts over just 11 days.
House deputy minority leader leila de lima endorsed the new complaints, calling it 'about time' to hold duterte accountable for impeachable offenses. However, law professor mel sta. maria questioned the supreme court's ruling in an opinion piece, arguing it may represent judicial overreach into the house's constitutional domain by dictating internal procedures.
The defense team, including members from fortun narvasa & salazar, continues preparations, with poa noting daily discussions with duterte, who anticipated repeated attempts.
