Lawyers from Davao City have warned that any petition to the Supreme Court regarding the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte could be used to delay the process. According to Atty. Joel Mahinay of the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM), this is a "trap" whose sole purpose is to delay the trial so that the public will tire out and forget about the issue when the 2028 elections come.
Atty. Arvin Dexter Lopoz, spokesperson for UPLM, said it would be better if the House of Representatives returned the articles of impeachment to the Senate to force the senators to continue the trial. He said filing the case in the SC would only cause further delay and could be used as a legal excuse to avoid facing the charges.
Atty. Romeo Cabarde Jr. of Ateneo Public Interest and Legal Advocacy explained that even though the Senate's move has no clear basis in the Constitution, it is better to use public pressure than legal action right away. It is possible that the delay in the SC is being used as a tactic by VP Sara's camp to avoid accountability.
One of the most anticipated parts of the impeachment is the issue of the P2.2-billion bank account of VP Sara and former President Duterte at BPI Julia Vargas. According to Lopoz, this money was not seen in their SALN and if it is discussed in the trial, it will shed light on the allegation of unexplained wealth.
Currently, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) also discussed that there was no railroading in the impeachment process. According to them, 215 legislators voluntarily signed the fourth complaint, making it legal under the Constitution. They said that the petitioners have a wrong understanding of the impeachment process.
