Solicitor General Darlene Marie Berberabe, serving as legal counsel for the House of Representatives, has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition filed by Vice President Sara Duterte regarding the continuation of impeachment hearings in the lower chamber.
In her comments submitted on April 23, Berberabe stated that the petition filed by Vice President Sara, as well as a related petition by Attorney Israelito Torreon, lacks due process and sufficient basis. She also requested that all requests for injunctive relief, including a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the hearings, be denied.
The Solicitor General emphasized that the House should be allowed to fulfill its constitutional duties without interference, and that the impeachment process should be allowed to proceed according to its prescribed flow. She stressed that there was no grave abuse of discretion on the part of the House, nor was the Vice President's right to due process violated, from the submission of her response to her attendance at the hearings.
Furthermore, Berberabe stated that there is no basis for the allegation of double standards between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Vice President.
Meanwhile, Attorney Torreon filed an additional petition on April 27, questioning the continuation of impeachment hearings even though Congress is in recess, and insisting that accountability should be carried out in accordance with the Constitution.
