MANILA, Philippines—The Senate, acting as impeachment court, has the sole authority over impeachment cases and not even the high court can intervene, says Senator-judge Francisco Pangilinan.
Pangilinan’s statement came after the Supreme Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order barring senator-judges from opening the foreign currency bank accounts allegedly owned by Chief Justice Corona.
“My position is that only the Senate has the sole power to try and decide on impeachment cases,” Pangilinan said in a chance interview after the Senate trial on Thursday.
He slammed the SC’s decision that binds the Senate’s hand and prevents Senator-judges from doing their mandate as the impeachment court.
What happened, he pointed out, was the Senate rulings not followed. “How can we work efficiently if one of our hands is tied up,” he said in Filipino.
He added he doesn’t believe the Supreme Court has the right to intervene in what the Senate impeachment court is doing.
He said the Supreme Court has no authority to correct any errors on the judgement of the Senate as the impeachment court and that the sole authority rests on the people.
“Ultimately, all government authority emanates from the people, and the correction of any errors of the impeachment court must not be from subjudicial review but ultimately, from the people themselves,” he added.
Pangilinan said they will hold a caucus on Monday to decide on their next cause of action.
When asked whether they will push through with the reiteration of the subpoena for PS Bank Katipunan branch manage amid the SC’s TRO, Pangilinan said: “We will decide that on Monday given this recent intervention of the Supreme Court.”