The landmark decision came like a bolt from the blue. Just when everyone was preoccupied with the serial storms buffeting the country, the House of Representatives was hit with lightning more intense than nature could offer: a unanimous Supreme Court decision striking down the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The decision hit the nemeses of the VP with the impact of gale-force winds. Here they were, preparing for next week, salivating at the prospect of preening before the cameras on national television in their Sunday best as House prosecutors when — voila! — there was no more impeachment trial. These people — especially De Lima, Luistro and Kapunan — failed to hear the collective sigh of relief heaved by the Filipino people spared of daily broadcasts of their eerie-looking mugs.
After recovering from their initial shock, the House and some members of the Senate went into bang-aw (Batangueño term for rabid dog) mode, but only crazier. The asymmetrical Rep. Percy Cendaña immediately announced that he would file a motion to intervene in the Supreme Court, and even threatened to have those Justices of the Supreme Court who voted for the invalidation of the impeachment — all thirteen of them! — impeached themselves.
And just when you thought that comebacking Senator Tito Sotto had retired from comedy for good, he suddenly said that, after consulting with a “legal luminary” (who might suspiciously look like Cendaña, De Lima or even Tony Carpio), the Senate may disregard the decision of the highest court of the land.
Newly minted Senator Erwin Tulfo, taking a leaf from the original “Atty. Google” Rep. Dan Fernandez, spent a few minutes searching on the net and came up with the novel juridical theory that the Senate has the exclusive authority to try impeachment cases that not even the Supreme Court can touch.
Rep. Leila de Lima lambasted the Supreme Court for what she called a “one-sided” decision, only to backtrack and apologize later when this writer came out with a public statement threatening to file contempt charges against those using intemperate and scurrilous language in criticizing the High Tribunal.
It is good that sober minds in the Senate such as Miguel Zubiri, Win Gatchalian and Ping Lacson, among others, added their voices to the fray by calling on their colleagues to respect the Supreme Court and follow a rule that every law school freshman knows: that when the Supreme Court rules, it becomes part of the law of the land which every person — plain citizen, Senator or even President — must follow.
It is horrible that many people seem not to know that, or feign not to know it. What is even more horrific is that many of those people are in the Legislature, who are supposed to be lawmakers and charged with knowledge of the law. Making Congress a real House of Horrors.