Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Saturday dismissed as a “nuisance suit” the petition for indirect contempt filed against him by Ferdinand Topacio, insisting that the complaint has “no legal or factual basis and is merely a publicity stunt.“
In a statement, Sotto maintained that he merely expressed disagreement with the court’s decision and did not commit any act that would constitute indirect contempt under Rule 71 of the Rules of Court.
The petition, filed before the Supreme Court (SC) on February 13, stemmed from Sotto’s public criticism of the high court’s ruling on the Articles of Impeachment filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The camp of Topacio argued in their petition that Sotto’s statements “tend to demean and destroy the credibility” of the Supreme Court. They claimed that the senator's comments could undermine public trust in the judiciary.
Sotto, however, strongly rejected the allegation, stressing that expressing criticism of a court ruling does not automatically amount to contempt.
“Simply expressing a disagreement or the mere act of criticizing the decision of the courts cannot constitute indirect contempt,” he said.
He further explained that under Rule 71 of the Rules of Court, indirect contempt involves conduct committed outside the court that actually tends to impede, obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice.
“Under Rule 71 of the Rules of Court – Indirect contempt requires conduct committed outside the court that actually tends to impede, obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice,“ Sotto emphasized.
“I did not do any of those acts. I simply expressed a disagreement with the court decision,” he said.
The Senate President also invoked constitutional protection of free speech, citing Article III, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution.
Despite his firm stance, Sotto assured that he would comply with due process and respond formally if required by the High Court.
“I will formally respond to the petition once I am asked to do so by the Supreme Court,” he said.
