Lawyer Israelito Torreon confirmed that he formally submitted a letter on Sunday to the House of Representatives Committee on Justice, seeking the outright dismissal of all four impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In the letter, Torreon argued that the complaints are “insufficient in both form and substance,” citing constitutional rules that govern impeachment proceedings.
He stressed that the first complaint is barred by the Constitution’s one-year prohibition rule, which prevents multiple impeachment attempts against the same official within a 12-month period.
The second complaint was withdrawn by its petitioners on Monday.
Torreon said his legal team is now focusing on challenging the third and fourth complaints.
“We hope the same standards applied in prior impeachment proceedings, such as those involving Ferdinand Marcos Jr., will guide the House panel’s evaluation of these remaining cases,” he said.
While the first complaint was dismissed and the second withdrawn, the House Committee on Justice earlier declared the third and fourth complaints “sufficient in form.”
The House Committee on Justice said they comply with constitutional requirements regarding format and verification, allowing the complaints to advance to the next stage of the impeachment process.
House Justice Committee Chair Gerville Luistro confirmed that the deliberations on the remaining complaints are set to resume on Tuesday.
