By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – A Davao City councilor confirmed on Tuesday, August 5, that the Law Firm of Torreon and Partners officially received the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives before the Supreme Court, seeking to reverse its ruling that declared the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional.
Speaking during the Pulong-Pulong sa Dabawenyos Forum at Sangguniang Panlungsod, Councilor Luna Marie Dominique Acosta—one of the petitioners in the case—said the law firm received the motion on Monday, August 4, and immediately began reviewing the document.
“We will be studying it thoroughly in the coming days,” Acosta said, adding that their legal team has begun preparing in anticipation of any directive from the Supreme Court.
Acosta clarified that the petitioners have not yet received an official order from the high court regarding their next course of action.
“We don’t know yet if we’ll be asked to file a comment or proceed directly to oral arguments. Whatever the Supreme Court decides, the law firm is ready to respond accordingly,” the councilor said.
The House of Representatives submitted its appeal through a motion for reconsideration filed on August 4, seeking to overturn the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling.
SC spokesperson Camille Ting announced on July 25 that the Court had dismissed the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte, citing a violation of the 1987 Constitution’s one-year bar on filing successive impeachment complaints against the same official.
The fourth impeachment complaint, endorsed by 215 lawmakers from the 19th Congress, was transmitted to the Senate on February 5. However, the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional, halting the process.
The House clarified that its legal move should not be seen as challenging judicial authority.
“This is not an act of defiance or disrespect. It is an exercise in constitutional stewardship—an affirmation that every branch must act with fidelity to the Charter that gives us all our power,” the House said.
Lawmakers emphasized that their intention was not to provoke conflict between institutions but to safeguard the public’s right to hold high-ranking officials accountable.
As the case proceeds, the Torreon and Partners Law Firm, representing the petitioners, affirmed its readiness to respond once the Supreme Court issues its following directive.
