Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, for a second time, pressed the Supreme Court (SC) to immediately act on the habeas corpus petitions involving her father and former President Rodrigo Duterte.

On Tuesday, May 12, Atty. Salvador Paolo Panelo announced that KItty filed a second urgent motion through the Panelo Law Office, directing the respondents to facilitate the immediate return of the former president to the Philippines. The motion argues that over 14 months have passed since the petitions were filed on March 12, 2025, “with no substantive action from the Court.”

Moreover, the petition cited the recent adoption of Senate Resolution No. 44, expressing the Senate’s position against “extrajudicial rendition” of Filipinos and to guarantee them a reasonable time prior to any surrender or extradition.

On Monday evening, May 11, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel attempted to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa at the Senate compound, prompting Kitty to file the motion in the aftermath of the incident.

The senator was later granted protective custody by the Senate.

“These events, the Motion argues, prove that immediate and decisive action on the petitions is not only warranted, but absolutely imperative, with the Executive shamelessly capitalizing on the Supreme Court’s silence on the petitions as a license to perpetrate the same grave constitutional violations complained of in the petitions,” Kitty argued.

In addition, she argued that the Rule of Law demands immediate resolution to the consolidated petitions.

“The prolonged delay, coupled with the latest developments, has created a constitutional crisis that can no longer be ignored,” she emphasized.

Earlier this week, the ICC Trial Chamber III approved Atty. Nicholas Kaufman’s petition to withdraw as the former president’s legal counsel.

Meanwhile, a first status conference for Duterte's trial is set for May 27, 2026.