The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the petition for indirect contempt against Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III in connection with his statements criticizing the Court’s ruling on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte in 2025.

The Court declared Sotto’s statements to be protected by the constitutional freedoms of speech and expression, and did not constitute indirect contempt.

“Under the doctrine of fair comment, statements concerning public officials in the performance of their duties are protected. Such statements do not automatically become punishable simply because they are false, harsh, or offensive,” the Court said.

It added that constitutional protection applies not only to “polite” or non-critical speech, but that political speech is “accorded the highest degree of protection,” as an exercise of the people’s sovereignty.

“In contempt cases involving speech, the SC explained that the key question is whether the statements intentionally incite the public to lose trust in the independence of the Judiciary or to obstruct the administration of justice, and whether, considering the totality of circumstances, there is a likelihood and imminence that the statements will produce these effects,” the Court explained.

“The SC found that Senator Sotto’s remarks posed no such threat,” it said.

The High Court recalled that Sotto, in media interviews and through social media posts, questioned its decision to dismiss the first impeachment case against Duterte on the grounds that it was unconstitutional as it violated the one-year bar under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the 1987 Constitution.