The fundamental principles of impeachment

Assuming the impeachment shall proceed, Filipinos should at least know the most basic nuances of impeachment.

- Atty. Josephus B. Jimenez [e-mail]

For the enlightenment of all Filipinos here are ten fundamental legal principles about impeachment in the Philippines. The most basic of all such principles are found in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, specifically, Article XI, entitled Accountability of Public Officers.

These provisions, it may interest you to know, was principally authored by Hilario Davide Jr. who later became chairman of the Comelec, Supreme Court chief justice, and ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and permanent delegate to the United Nations.

The first principle: Impeachment is anchored on the philosophy that a public office is a public trust. Section 1 of Article XI provides that public officers and employees must be accountable to the people. They must serve the people with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency.

Second, only the following officers can be removed by impeachment: the president, vice president, the 15 Supreme Court members, the Civil Service Commission chairman and the two commissioners, the Comelec chairman and six commissioners, the COA chairman and two commissioners, and the ombudsman.