Defying SC ruling on impeach raps vs VP Sara erodes legal order – IBP

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) urged the public and the government to respect and adhere to the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling that declared unconstitutional the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.

- By REY G. PANALIGAN

In a statement, the IBP said it respects the exclusive power of the House of Representatives to initiate impeachment.

It pointed out that it also acknowledges the SC’s solemn duty to interpret the Constitution and resolve legal uncertainties.

“Disagreement with the SC’s reasoning is neither unwelcome nor unexpected. Dissent is not foreign to a democracy; it is essential to its survival,” the IBP said.

But it said that “to incite public repudiation of its (SC’s) authority, or even just to call for its outright defiance, erodes the very foundations of the legal order."

"Such actions disturb the equilibrium of powers and imperil the integrity of our democratic institutions, especially when appropriate legal remedies remain available within the framework of our constitutional system," it stressed. "If every adverse verdict immediately becomes an invitation to disbelieve, the law ceases to be a constraint on power and becomes its casualty. The Constitution does not require agreement. It demands adherence."