Risa to SC: ‘No one is immune from error’

Senator Risa Hontiveros said the Supreme Court’s recent clarification regarding the reversibility of its decisions, emphasizing that even unanimous rulings are not beyond reconsideration.

In a statement Friday, Hontiveros cited precedent to support her position, underscoring that the High Court has reversed unanimous decisions in the past.

“Upon checking again, the many reversals in the League of Cities' decisions were not decided unanimously,” she said. “The fact remains that at least one unanimous case was reversed En Banc, and it is not unheard of.”

To drive her point, Hontiveros cited the case of International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, Inc. v. Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), G.R. Nos. 209271, 209276, 209301 & G.R. No. 209430, which was reversed by the Supreme Court En Banc on July 26, 2016.

The senator’s remarks come amid debate on the legal finality of Supreme Court decisions, particularly in politically sensitive cases. 

While she did not directly name the case prompting the clarification, the timing suggests it may relate to the ongoing discussions around the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, which was recently declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but now subject to a pending motion for reconsideration.

Voting 19-4-1 on Wednesday, the Senate moved to transfer the Articles of Impeachment in relation to the complaint against Duterte. 

Senator Rodante Marcoleta initially sought to dismiss Duterte’s impeachment case, but later agreed to have it archived instead, as motioned by Senator Joel Villanueva. 

Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III had earlier attempted to table Marcoleta’s original motion to dismiss, but his motion failed in a 5-19-0 vote.

“This is a reminder that no one is immune from error,” Hontiveros said. “The most important thing is to correct it.”