Supreme Court Upholds House Impeachment Proceedings Against VP Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Vice President Sara Duterte's petitions challenging the House impeachment proceedings, paving the way for the Senate impeachment trial to proceed without pending legal questions over the House process as senator-judges intensified their examination of the alleged misuse of confidential funds during the 13th day of the proceedings. The High Court junked Duterte's petitions that sought to nullify the impeachment complaint filed against her by the House of Representatives. In her petitions, Duterte argued that the impeachment complaint filed against her was defective and that the House of Representatives committed grave abuse of discretion in its handling of the impeachment proceedings. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the House impeachment proceedings were conducted in accordance with the law and that there was no grave abuse of discretion on the part of the lawmakers. The decision is seen as a major victory for the House of Representatives and a setback for Vice President Duterte. With the legal challenges out of the way, the Senate impeachment trial is expected to proceed with greater speed as senator-judges focus on the merits of the case, particularly the alleged misuse of confidential funds.