MANILA, Philippines – The Senate on Thursday (March 6) filed a manifestation before the Supreme Court (SC) asking for it to be pardoned from commenting on the petition seeking to block the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

The Senate, through its legal counsel Maria Valentina Cruz, submitted a Manifestation Ad Cautelam “in lieu of the required comment,” citing the 1987 Constitution explicitly directing the upper chamber to convene as an Impeachment Court. 

“Respondent Senate, which has the sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment under the Constitution, cannot therefore possibly make a comment on the Petition and thus, asks the Honorable Court that it be excused from submitting the comment,” the  Senate said in the pleading. 

A manifestation ad cautelam is a declaration made “out of caution” as a response to a petition filed in court.

In the three-page manifestation, the Senate also requested the High Court to consider their manifestation as a compliance with its En Banc Resolution dated last February 25. 

“Accordingly, premises considered, respondent Senate of the Philippines respectfully prays that the Honorable Court duly NOTE and APPROVE the Manifestation Ad Cautelam, and CONSIDER the same to be sufficient compliance with the En Banc Resolution dated February 25,2025,” the pleading read. 

Four impeachment complaints have been filed against Duterte at the House of Representatives. Duterte herself filed a petition questioning the validity of the complaints, reasoning that these violated the one year bar rule on filing multiple impeachment complaints. 

A group of Mindanao lawyers led by Kingdom of Jesus Christ legal counsel Israelito Torreon and  former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chief Martin Delgra filed a Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition seeking to block the Senate from convening as a impeachment court because the complaint they believe is “constitutionally deficient” and “jurisdictionally void.”  

Meanwhile, there is also a petition urging the SC to compel the Senate to convene. 

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