Pimentel says Supreme Court's dismissal of Duterte impeachment case understandable

MANILA — Former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III expressed understanding of the Supreme Court's move to dismiss three petitions that sought to overturn the Impeachment Court's decision on voting thresholds in the Vice President Sara Duterte impeachment proceedings.

Pimentel noted that the high court's decision to decline jurisdiction over the contentious petitions was a reasonable position given the circumstances surrounding the case. The former Senate leader indicated that he recognized the complexities and timing issues that may have influenced the Supreme Court's ruling to turn away the challenges.

The dismissal of the petitions marked a significant development in the ongoing impeachment proceedings against the Vice President. The Impeachment Court had previously set voting requirements for conviction, a decision that drew legal challenges from various groups seeking to clarify the constitutional and procedural framework governing such proceedings.

Pimentel's public statement underscored the delicate constitutional questions at play in the impeachment process and suggested broad acknowledgment among senior political figures of the Supreme Court's institutional constraints in intervening at particular junctures of impeachment proceedings.