Hiniling ng ilang abogado at iba pang indibidwal mula sa Mindanao sa Korte Suprema ngayong Martes na maglabas ng temporary restraining order (TRO) laban sa pagsasagawa ng impeachment trial kay Vice President Sara Duterte.
Batay sa Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition na inihain nina Atty. Israelito Torreon, dating Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chair Atty. Martin Delgra III, at 27 pang petitioners ay hiniling nila na maglabas ang hukuman ng TRO at writ of preliminary injunction.
“This petition likewise prays for the issuance of a writ of prohibition to enjoin and prohibit the Senate of the Philippines from acting on the Articles of Impeachment and from proceeding with the impeachment trial, considering that the initiation of the impeachment complaint was procedurally defective, constitutionally infirm, and jurisdictionally void,” ani Torreon.
Anya, impeachmentcomplaint ay pinroseso nang walang paunang pagsusuri ng komite at hindi rin anya naging maayos ang beripikasyon nito.
“The verification process requires that it should be personally known, the allegations, or personally known and studied by the respective congressmen who signed it and if you noticed the congressmen who went there did not even know as to the subject matter of the discussion in the House caucus,” dagdag niya.
Kasama sa mga nagpetisyon sina Davao City Councilor Luna Maria Dominique Acosta, Bai Jundra Cassandra Dominique Advincula, at Lord Byron Cristobal.
Humihiling sila na maglabas ang Korte Suprema ng TRO o writ of preliminary injunction na nag-uutos sa Senado na itigil at huwag nang ipagpatuloy ang mga impeachment proceedings.
Hiningi rin nila sa mataas na hukuman na ideklarang walang bisa ang mga artikulo ng impeachment at permanenteng pigilan ang Senado na talakayin ang diumano’y hindi balidong impeachment complaint.
“It is therefore for this Honorable Court to declare the impeachment complaint void ab initio for being constitutionally and procedurally defective and issue a writ of prohibition directing the Senate of the Philippines to refrain from conducting impeachment proceedings based on an invalid and jurisdictionally infirm impeachment complaint,” pahayag ng mga petitioner.
“Of course, you cannot describe it otherwise, this is part of the plan to eliminate her as the probable contender in the 2028 national elections, that’s my personal belief,” ayon pa kay Torreon.
Una nang inimpeach sa kamara si Duterte dahil sa mga paratang ng paglabag sa konstitusyon, pagtataksil sa tiwala ng publiko, katiwalian at korapsyon, at iba pang malalaking krimen.
Ayon naman kay Senate President Escudero malamang na hindi magsisimula ang paglilitis kay Duterte hanggang matapos ang mid-term elections sa Mayo.
