Kiko: ‘Flawed’ SC ruling weakens gov’t counterchecks

Senator Kiko Pangilinan, one of only four senators who opposed archiving the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, questioned the Supreme Court’s (SC) recent decision in her favor, saying it appeared to be based on inaccurate facts.

He warned that the High Court’s unprecedented move to strike down the impeachment case — grounded, he said, on “incorrect” facts — could weaken the country’s system of checks and balances if allowed to stand.

In a television interview, Pangilinan said the Motion for Reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives is more than just a legal move.

“If the facts are wrong, then your ruling is wrong,” he said. “It’s like saying you killed someone when you didn’t — and the court did not appreciate the facts. That’s unjust and unfair. And that’s what happened here.”

Pangilinan disputed the Court’s application of the one-year bar rule, saying the first three impeachment complaints against Duterte were never “initiated” before the fourth was sent to the Senate.

“There was no first, second, or third initiation because what they acted on and initiated was the fourth complaint. Then they archived the three,” he said. “The claim that the fourth complaint is barred by the one-year rule because of three earlier ‘initiated’ complaints is simply incorrect.”

He added that the Senate should have waited for the MR to be resolved before voting to archive the case.

“When you do something as unprecedented as this, the least the Supreme Court could have done was check their facts,” he said. “That MR is the chance to fix those factual errors, restore fairness, and protect the integrity of our democratic institutions.”

Legal observers say the ruling, if upheld, could set a precedent that reshapes the scope of impeachment proceedings and shifts the balance of power between the legislative and judicial branches — an outcome Pangilinan says must be confronted now before it becomes permanent.

On 6 August, 19 senators voted to archive the impeachment case. Senators Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, Pangilinan and Vicente Sotto III opposed the move, while Senator Panfilo Lacson abstained.

Duterte was accused of misusing confidential and intelligence funds and of threatening the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos, the First Lady and Speaker Martin Romualdez.