On May 12, 2026, the Panelo Law Office, representing petitioner Veronica A. Duterte, filed a Second Urgent Motion to Resolve and to Direct Respondents to Facilitate the Immediate Return of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte before the Supreme Court. The motion pertains to the consolidated petitions for habeas corpus (G.R. Nos. 278763, 278768, and 278798).
Fourteen Months of Inaction
The motion emphasizes that fourteen months have elapsed since the petitions were filed on March 12, 2025, yet the Court has taken no substantive action. This delay is particularly concerning given the extraordinary and summary nature of the writ of habeas corpus, which demands swift resolution.
Senate Resolution Highlights Legal Concerns
The motion also notes the recent adoption of Senate Resolution No. 44 on March 17, 2026. This resolution expresses the Senate's intent to protect all Filipinos from extrajudicial rendition—the fate suffered by former President Duterte—and to guarantee them a reasonable time prior to any surrender or extradition to seek redress from Philippine courts and avail of legal remedies.
Senate Standoff Underscores Urgency
The filing comes in the wake of dramatic events in the Senate on May 11, 2026. An attempted enforcement of an alleged International Criminal Court warrant of arrest against Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa inside the Senate premises led to contempt citations against agents of the National Bureau of Investigation, the grant of Senate protective custody to the Senator, and a standoff between the Senate and the NBI.
The motion argues that these events prove immediate and decisive action from the Supreme Court is not only warranted but absolutely imperative. It asserts that the Executive is shamelessly capitalizing on the Court's silence as a license to perpetrate the same grave constitutional violations complained of in the petitions.
Call for Immediate Resolution
The motion declares that the Rule of Law demands immediate resolution of the consolidated petitions. The prolonged delay, coupled with the latest developments, has created a constitutional crisis that can no longer be ignored. The petitioners respectfully ask the Supreme Court to urgently resolve the petitions, declare the arrest, rendition, and continued detention of former President Duterte illegal and unconstitutional, and direct the respondents to take all available steps to facilitate his immediate return.
The motion was signed by Salvador Paolo A. Panelo, Jr., Managing Partner of Panelo Law Office, counsel for petitioner Veronica "Kitty" Duterte.
