A former Supreme Court justice warned Thursday that the High Court could view the House of Representatives’ impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte as a “grave abuse of discretion” if the House failed to follow constitutional timelines.
Adolfo Azcuna, a member of the commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution, said that while the House has the sole authority to initiate impeachment proceedings, those actions are still governed by specific constitutional procedures.
This means the Supreme Court could intervene through judicial review, despite the principle of separation of powers, if the House did not comply with these legal procedures.
“So as far as the compliance with those specific procedures is concerned, the Supreme Court, I think, can ask questions,” Azcuna said in an interview. “I believe that if these time-bound procedures are not complied with, the Supreme Court may consider a grave abuse [of discretion].”
Azcuna’s statement followed reports that the House refused to answer several of the Supreme Court’s clarifications regarding the impeachment. These included whether the fourth impeachment complaint was properly circulated and reviewed by the 215 lawmakers who signed it. The House, through the Office of the Solicitor General, also declined to state which committee or office drafted the articles of impeachment or when they were completed.