MANILA — Seventeen individuals, including lawyers and private citizens, have asked the Supreme Court of the Philippines to allow them to intervene as petitioners in a case seeking to halt the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In their petition, the group said they were seeking to participate in the case, arguing that the impeachment process would directly affect their constitutional interests as citizens, taxpayers, and stakeholders, particularly in Mindanao.

The Vice President, along with a group of lawyers, had earlier filed a separate petition asking the high court to stop the House of Representatives from proceeding with the impeachment, claiming the process is незаконный and violates her rights.

“The intervention will not delay the proceedings. It will aid the Honorable Court. They support the principal Petition, adopt its core constitutional challenge, and present an additional and distinct public-interest perspective: that the challenged impeachment process, especially the Committee’s premature rulings and overbroad subpoenas, threatens to convert the constitutional power to impeach into an open-ended instrument of selective investigation and political harassment,” the petition read.

The group also urged the court to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the ongoing impeachment proceedings.

“Petitioners-in-intervention do not ask this Honorable Court to intrude into a political contest. They ask it to perform its constitutional duty before an allegedly unconstitutional process becomes fully entrenched. The controversy is no longer theoretical. The constitutional injury is already unfolding. Hearings have been held, subpoenas have issued, and the challenged process is now producing real constitutional consequences,” they said.

“At this point, respectfully, inaction is no longer restraint. It is acquiescence. Wherefore, Petitioners-in-Intervention most respectfully pray that this Honorable Court grant the present Motion for Leave to Intervene and admit this Petition-in-Intervention and give due course to the principal Petition, as supplemented by this Petition-in-Intervention,” they added.

The 17 individuals include Atty. Jerryl Rondez-Layog, Atty. Jason Lobaton, Atty. Maher Centi, Atty. James Talan Reserva, Atty. Hillary Olga Reserva, Dr. Ronald Adamat, Maulana “Alan” Balangi, Atty. Mark Anthony Mulit, Atty. Eryel Comania, Atty. John Rey Codilla, Atty. Jecelyn Pastor-inok, Atty. Charry Joy Maglente, Atty. Jose Darwin Trinidad, Nasser Mimbala, Rasad Maulay Paramata, Amroding Datu Rasul, and Edezer Ponce Lumtan.

The impeachment complaints against Duterte accuse her of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, among other allegations. These include the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family, and the alleged accumulation of unexplained wealth.

Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives of the Philippines has the exclusive authority to initiate impeachment cases.

The House Committee on Justice has already ruled that the complaints are sufficient in form, substance, and grounds, and is currently determining whether probable cause exists to proceed with impeachment.

House rules state that after reviewing pleadings and supporting documents, the committee must decide whether sufficient grounds exist. If none are found, the complaint will be dismissed. If sufficient grounds are established, hearings will proceed.

The rules also grant the committee authority to issue subpoenas and require the attendance of witnesses, with hearings generally open to the public unless national security or public interest requires otherwise.

In a separate statement, House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V defended the proceedings, saying these are being conducted properly.

“The House cannot abdicate its duty. We are constitutionally bound to hear the evidence, test the allegations, and determine whether the charges merit action,” Ortega said.

“If the Vice President truly believes the allegations against her will collapse, then she should welcome the process instead of hiding behind technicalities, diversion, and propaganda. The answer to impeachment charges is evidence, not self-pity or victimhood,” he added.