The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has rejected a petition by Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte. Carpio sought to prevent the House of Representatives from issuing a subpoena for the couple's annual income tax returns as part of ongoing impeachment proceedings.
In a five-page decision, Judge Madonna Echiverri ruled that granting Carpio's request would interfere with the constitutional powers of the House concerning impeachment.
The court stated that the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction does not interfere with the courts, as it only pertains to the litigants involved.
Quezon City RTC
The court emphasized that judicial review of actions taken by the House committee on justice should be addressed to the Supreme Court, not lower courts.
The impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte was approved by the House on May 4, citing charges such as misuse of confidential funds and non-declaration of assets.
The court reiterated that the House has exclusive authority to initiate impeachment cases under the 1987 Constitution. Therefore, the subpoenas issued by the House were deemed a legitimate exercise of its powers.
Carpio's camp attempted to use media articles and online content as evidence, but the court dismissed these as inadmissible hearsay.
The case is set for a plenary vote in the House on May 11, 2026.