MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) voided the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, ruling that the proceedings violated the Constitution’s one-year ban on impeachment and the respondent’s right to due process.

Voting 13-0 with two abstentions, the high court said the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte — filed on February 5, 2025 and endorsed by more than one-third of the House of Representatives — was unconstitutional, effectively blocking the Senate from acquiring jurisdiction over the matter.

“The end does not justify the means,” the Court said in its unanimous decision penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen. “There is a right way to do the right thing at the right time. This is what the Rule of Just Law means.”

The Court clarified that Duterte is not absolved of the charges against her. However, any new impeachment complaint can only be filed starting February 6, 2026.

The ruling stemmed from petitions questioning the validity of the House-initiated impeachment proceedings. The Court ruled that the House had already “initiated” impeachment with the first three complaints filed in December 2024, which were later deemed dismissed when Congress adjourned on February 5, 2025.

Under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution, “[n]o impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year.”

The high tribunal said the fourth complaint, although endorsed by one-third of the House, violated this constitutional safeguard, noting that the prior three complaints were validly initiated and could not be disregarded.

It also emphasized that impeachment is not purely political but a constitutional process bound by the Bill of Rights.

“The impeachment process is primarily a legal and constitutional procedure but with political characteristics… The Bill of Rights, especially the due process clause and the right to speedy disposition of cases, applies to the entire impeachment process,” the Court said.

It also laid out due process requirements for future impeachment efforts, including full access to the complaint and supporting evidence for both the respondent and all House members, and a reasonable opportunity for the official involved to respond.

In a pointed final note, the Court warned against bending constitutional rules for political expediency: “We cannot concede the sobriety of fairness inherent in due process of law to the passions of a political moment.”

The decision is immediately executory and will take effect upon its publication on the Supreme Court website and receipt by the parties.