Lawyer Catalino Aldea Generillo, Jr. has filed a Petition for Mandamus before the Supreme Court, requesting the justices to order the Senate to immediately constitute itself as an impeachment court and conduct a trial against Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte. Generillo argues that the Senate is legally obligated to proceed with impeachment once a complaint reaches them. He contends that any delay or inaction constitutes a neglect of duty that warrants judicial intervention.
In his petition, Generillo cites past Supreme Court rulings emphasizing the people’s right to demand accountability from public officials. He also invokes the principle that public officials cannot refuse to perform their constitutional duties without consequence. The prayer of the petition is simple but bold: force the Senate to get moving and hold Duterte’s impeachment trial without delay. However, whether the Supreme Court will grant this request—or whether the Senate will take it seriously—is another question entirely. Given the political realities of the country, it remains to be seen whether this legal maneuver will lead to actual accountability or just end up as another entry in the long list of ignored petitions.
