Chiz: Senate stands by Constitution, warns vs politicizing impeachment

Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero minced no words in castigating certain camps for pushing for an impeachment complaint that sidestepped the provisions of the Constitution, warning them against using the upper chamber as their “playground to run after enemies hindering their personal political agenda.”

Escudero denounced what he described as a “power play” by certain political factions seeking to bypass constitutional processes in an attempt to pursue personal agendas under the guise of accountability.

 He emphasized that the Senate cannot and will not be used as a “playground” for political vendettas.

“Respect for the rule of law requires all of us to adhere to final or immediately executory court decisions, even when there’s a winner and a loser, to avoid deadlocks and maintain legal order,” he said. 

“Respect for the rule of law does not bar disagreeing with court decisions nor from forming our own opinions on the meaning and intent and the letter of the spirit of the Constitution,” he added. 

The Supreme Court earlier ruled that the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte violated constitutional provisions, including the ban on multiple complaints within a year and the right to due process. 

The decision, which the Court declared “immediately executory,” prompted the Senate to vote overwhelmingly in favor of shelving the complaint into the chamber’s archives. 

Escudero reminded his colleagues that the judiciary’s independence must be preserved, warning against attempts to undermine the Supreme Court simply because its decisions are politically inconvenient.

“For the rule of law to prevail, the High Court must act as a compass, and not as a political cheerleader impartially applying the law by calling out violations not swayed by public opinion or political allegiance,” he said. 

Those who refuse to accept with humility when the court has already decided, he added, is not respect. “It is plain arrogance or if at all, a power play.”

“Cherry-picking court rulings destroys the judiciary’s purpose. Disobeying the High Court’s decision is a violation of the law because under our Constitution, decisions of the Supreme Court form part of the law of the land.”

Citing the landmark case of Francisco vs. House of Representatives, Escudero noted that the Supreme Court has long held the mandate to interpret the Constitution, and that similar issues were tackled in that ruling two decades ago.

Escudero said the chamber showed that it “stands ready to uphold the integrity of the Constitution, as well as the institutions created under it.”

He then posed pointed questions to those criticizing the decision and the senators who voted in favor of archiving the complaint:

“Are you truly for accountability or simply anti-Duterte? Do you truly respect and want to preserve the Constitution or simply hate the Vice President? Are you serving the nation’s interest or protecting and pursuing your personal ambitions or agenda? Are you fighting for truth or are you simply after revenge? Do you really want a trial or just a conviction? Do you really believe that we're wrong or do you simply feel entitled and believe that you’re always right?,” he asked. 

Escudero concluded with a warning: “Let today’s verdict be a stern and unequivocal warning to anyone who would dare use the Senate as their personal battering ram to further their personal political ambitions.” 

“Let history record that in this moment, we chose the Constitution, we chose the rule of law by defending the integrity of the Supreme Court and maintaining the system of checks and balances under our republican system of government,” he added.