With shocking speed
Mabilis, nakakagulantang (stunningly fast)” was how Sr. Mary John Mananzan, co-chairperson of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines, described the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. Speaking over Radio Veritas in Manila, Sr. Mananzan admitted she was startled but appreciated the swiftness of the congressional action against the SC chief.
“Hindi kasi tayo sanay sa mabilis, kaya tayo nagugulantang. Dapat, i-welcome natin ang mabilis (We’re not used to swift action, the reason why we’re stunned. We should welcome fast action),” Sr. Mananzan said. In the context of the popular view that justice in this country favors only the rich and the powerful, impeaching the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in a matter of hours is not only nakakagulantang but also nakakagimbal (shocking).
Perhaps the outspoken nun was talking indirectly to members of Congress who are used to being cajoled by Malacañang when it wants support for certain legislation because after Congress impeached Corona, reporters described the mood in the House as “totally surprised,” with minority congressmen virtually “caught with their pants down.” Or was she talking instead to SC justices, who may have anticipated a protracted House debate, long enough for the High Court to decide cases in favor of Corona’s patron, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, according to common perception?
Sr. Mananzan stressed the impeachment is a “huge help to the Aquino administration’s campaign against corruption.” Spoken in plain and simple language, she captured the sentiment of the Filipino masses and that’s what makes her more relevant than some advocates of the law, like Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) national president Roan Libarios.
Libarios saw a gathering storm in Corona’s “sudden impeachment,” describing it as having “a chilling effect on the entire Supreme Court as an institution that should be the final arbiter of the law.” He chided the House of Representatives for “claiming authority in interpreting the laws.” He also bewailed that the House “pursued the process with apparent force, displaying an utter disrespect to the SC.”
For a former House member who acted as prosecutor during the impeachment trial of former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada, Libarios sounds as if his role in the proceedings was meant only for pogi points.
In light of Corona’s predicament, Estrada’s impeachment is interesting to recall. In Nov. 13, 2000, then speaker Manuel Villar recited a prayer before the opening session of the House of Representatives and ended it by reading the articles that impeached Erap.
The transmittal of the articles of impeachment to the Senate, earlier signed by 115 congressmen, did not pass the plenary or assembly attended by all members of the House. The 1987 Constitution is silent on the so-called Villar mode of transmitting the articles of impeachment. Likewise, the process is not specified in the House rules of the 11th Congress, thus the controversy sparked hot debates and confusion. I don’t recall Libarios criticizing the House process at that time, but the issue prompted the House to streamline its rules on impeachment.
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, then serving as lawmaker of Sorsogon, acted as senior deputy majority leader and chairman of the rules-rewriting subcommittee. He is credited for doing the spadework of the new rules on impeachment during the 11th Congress. The draft was finally adopted by the 12th Congress.
In any case, then House Speaker Villar defended the process by invoking the Constitution that mandates that “when at least one-third of all the members of the House files a resolution of impeachment, the same shall constitute the articles of impeachment and the duty of the House becomes preemptory and ministerial to endorse it to the Senate for trial in the same manner as an approved bill.”
In effect, Villar was saying that after getting the numbers, Congress can no longer question the legality or illegality of his move. Moreover, what could be more urgent than bringing a sitting President, accused of culpable violation of the law, to face trial in the Senate? Under that situation, there is no room to tarry. Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco who bolted the majority because of the party’s supposed arrogant manner should take basic lessons from the Villar-led 11th Congress.
House Minority leader Edcel Lagman and his cohorts want to make it appear the House railroaded Corona’s impeachment, but didn’t Congress set the rules on impeachment? Section 15 of the new rules says, verified complaint + endorsement of at least one-third of all members of the House = articles of impeachment that should be transmitted to the Senate through a mere motion by the House.
As for the dire warning aired by Libarios, how unfortunate that, while Filipinos generally see in Corona’s impeachment the first real sign of deliverance from the culture of impunity, some experts of the law are telling us, in so many words, that SC magistrates are above the law.
