Opposition Senators to Duterte Call on Senate to Ignore Supreme Court Ruling and Continue the Impeachment Case Against Sara!
Philippine Senator Bam Aquino and Liza M. Hontiveros strongly opposed the Supreme Court's decision to halt the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, calling the ruling a blow to constitutional accountability and legislative independence.
Aquino claimed that the Senate must uphold its constitutional authority to resist judicial interference, "I am convinced that the impeachment trial should continue. As an equal branch, the Senate's constitutional authority and power are clear, so the impeachment process should be respected."
Aquino called for an immediate meeting of senators to address what he described as challenges to the Senate's constitutional responsibilities.
"I call on my senator colleagues to hold a meeting immediately to discuss this decision that ignores our constitutional obligations."
Senator Liza M. Hontiveros supported Aquino's position, calling the court's intervention disappointing and questioning the short-term and long-term consequences of the ruling.
"Frankly speaking, the Supreme Court's sudden stoppage of the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte is disappointing. One thing we want to know is how the 'One-Year Qualification Rule' was violated. Now only one case has been submitted to the Senate, and the clear considerations behind the one-year limit rule refer to the time factor, not the number of complaints."
Hontiveros also warned that the court's decision sets new obstacles to initiating an impeachment, which could have a chilling effect on future efforts to hold senior officials accountable.
"It is disturbing that the Supreme Court seems to have added too many requirements to initiate an impeachment. I can only hope that this new ruling will not have a negative impact on future efforts to hold our highest public officials accountable."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838751452549132/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.