Judge Alma Crispina B. Collado-Lacorte of the Regional Trial Court Branch 21 issued the order allowing Madriaga to appear at the impeachment hearing next week. This order was issued following a March 31 letter from House justice committee chairperson Rep. Jinky Luistro (Batangas) and House Speaker Bojie Dy III. In her 15-page answer to the impeachment complaints, Duterte dismissed his testimony as "sweeping allegations" unsupported by evidence. The House first impeached Duterte in February 2025 with 215 votes, but the Supreme Court struck it down in July 2025. The High Court had ruled that this impeachment case had violated the Constitution's one-year bar on multiple impeachment complaints against the same official.

Source: Philippine Star April 08, 2026 19:04 UTC