Stricter SC guidelines alarm Sotto

The more stringent guidelines set by the Supreme Court on impeachment make it doubly difficult to remove an impeached person from office despite strong evidence of wrongdoing, Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III said as he expressed alarm at the High Court's decision.

- MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

Speaking to The STAR's "Truth on the Line" yesterday, Sotto said the SC essentially amended the 1987 Constitution, which mandates a speedy trial, in its landmark ruling that declared Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment unconstitutional.

"The decision of the Supreme Court is really flawed. It practically amended the Constitution," Sotto said.

He said the decision — in finding that the House of Representatives violated the one-year-bar rule in dismissing the first three impeachment complaints and transmitting a fourth one — added more requirements to ensure due process to an impeached official, such as requiring that the one-third of all House members who endorsed the Articles of Impeachment should have read the complaint and all the evidence.

"The decision laid down the requirements - the evidence must be detailed, the impeached officer must be given time to refute the complaint. What if the official does not attend? All House members must have access to the complaint and execute an affidavit having read and understood all Articles of Impeachment. What if some will say they have not read it because they are abroad?" Sotto said.

"The rules were changed. Believe me, no official will ever be impeached after this," Sotto added.

Sotto defended his dismissed motion to table or shelve any Senate move instead of outrightly dismissing or archiving the impeachment complaint.

Small victory

He said the archiving instead of outright dismissal of the case by the Senate was a small victory.