MANILA — A former spokesperson of the Senate impeachment court said Thursday that a recent Supreme Court ruling affirms the Senate’s decision to prioritize due process over haste in the 2025 impeachment attempt against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“We refused to sacrifice due process at the altar of public pressure. The Supreme Court’s near-unanimous decision proves that under the leadership of then-Senate President Chiz Escudero, the Senate was right to choose constitutional prudence over the reckless haste demanded by so-called experts,” lawyer Regie Tongol said in a statement.

Tongol issued the remark following the Supreme Court’s 14-0-1 ruling in G.R. No. 278311 (Generillo Jr. v. Senate of the Philippines), which dismissed a petition seeking to compel the Senate to immediately convene as an impeachment court.

The High Court ruled that the constitutional requirement for the Senate to act “forthwith” does not mean immediate action, but allows reasonable time for preparation before an impeachment trial can proceed.

It also ruled that mandamus was not the proper legal remedy to direct the Senate to act, stressing that the chamber, as a co-equal branch of government, has authority over its internal proceedings unless there is grave abuse of discretion.

Tongol said the decision “definitively affirmed” the Senate leadership’s position at the time, stressing the need for discretion to ensure an orderly and fair impeachment process.

He added that the ruling reinforces constitutional stability by protecting impeachment proceedings from being rushed or subjected to external pressure.

The Supreme Court also declared the case moot after earlier rulings nullified the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte, leaving no legal basis to compel the Senate to proceed.