Labag sa Saligang Batas ang pag-dismiss sa impeachment ayon sa constitutional framer

6/9/2025

Ipinaliwanag na ng nagpalagay ng salitang "forthwith" sa Konstitusyon kung anong ibig sabihin nito kaugnay ng impeachment. Iginiit niya ring labag sa saligang batas kung idismiss ang impeachment complaint at kung anong pwedeng gawin para maituloy ito ng susunod na Kongreso.

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Transcript

00:00Ipinaliwanag na ng nagpalagay ng salitang Ford With sa konstitusyon kung anong ibig sabihin ito kaugnay ng impeachment.

00:07Iginit niya rin labag sa saligang batas kung idismiss ang impeachment complaint at kung anong pwedeng gawin para maitulito ng susunod na kongreso.

00:16Nakatutok si Joseph Moro.

00:21Sa tatlong impeachment complaint na nakatuntong sa Senado sa ating kasaysayan,

00:25ngayon lamang susubukan ng ilang Senador na ipadismiss ang kaso kahit walang paglilitis sa pamamagitan ng isang resolusyon na pagbobotohan ng mga Senador.

00:36Unchartered waters tayo dito.

00:38Ngunit kung titignan natin yung saligang batas natin sa lente ng pananagutan,

00:45parang hindi nakaakma yung proposal na magdismiss lang bigla ng impeachment case

00:50na hindi ma lang tayo nabibigyan ng pagkakataon, makita yung ebidensya.

00:55Ayon kay retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolf Ascuna, lumalabag daw sa konstitusyon ang resolusyon.

01:03It's very clear under the constitution that the Senate has the power and the duty to try and decide impeachment cases.

01:13So they cannot abdicate that duty.

01:17Sa Article 11, Section 4 ng Saligang Batas na Kasaad na trial by the Senate shall proceed forthwith.

01:24Ito ang pinagde-debatihan ngayon.

01:27At ang sinabi ng isang panig, ang ibig sabihin ng forthwith ay agad-agad simula ng paglilitis.

01:33Ang salitang forthwith, ipinalagay ni Ascuna bilang miyembro ng Constitutional Commission na bumabalang kas sa 1987 Constitution.

01:42It can mean immediate. It can also mean without unreasonable delay.

01:49Forthwith, in the necessarily right away, there can be some delay as long as it's reasonable.

01:57Nung binabalangkas ang konstitusyon, isinaalang-alang daw nila ang ibang trabaho ng Kongreso tulad ng paggawa ng batas.

02:04Forthwith is a flexible term. There are matters of legislation that are also very important, and the confirmation of appointments have to be done.

02:16So the Senate president cannot be totally blamed for seeing that these matters have to be attended to by the Senate before the 19th Congress bows out.

02:28Because otherwise, this will lapse. These are matters that will lapse. Whereas the impeachment does not lapse.

02:37Ayon kay Justice Ascuna, ang pwedeng gawin ng Senado ay simulan ng impeachment process at hayaan ang Senado ng 20th Congress na litisin at desisyonan ito.

02:47Pwedeng gawin niya ng 19th Congress hanggang June 30.

02:50Because it is not a legislative matter. The adjournment is for purposes of legislative matter.

02:56What is adjourned is the legislative calendar. The 19th Congress still exists.

03:05There have been Supreme Court decisions saying that after adjournment in a day, it can continue.

03:11Pero kung halimbawa na mapigil niya ng resolusyon ng impeachment sa 19th Congress, maaari pa rin itong buhayin sa 20th Congress,

03:20pero ang mga senador lamang na bumoto pabor sa resolusyon ang maaaring gumawa nito.

03:25Ito raw ay batay sa parliamentary procedure kung saan ang isang bumoto para sa nanalong resolusyon lamang

03:32ang maaaring humingi muli ng botohan sakaling nagbago ang isip nito.

03:37It can happen only if one of those who voted with the majority to dismiss the articles will be the one to ask for a reconsideration.

03:48For someone who is against its dismissal to vote for a dismissal so that he or she as a surviving member of the Senate can ask for reconsideration in the 20th Congress.

04:03Pero kung baharang pa rin ang impeachment complaint sa 20th Congress, maaaring mauwi ito sa isang constitutional crisis.

04:11The only one that can remediate that crisis would be the Supreme Court because one branch of government, Congress, represented by the Senate, refuses to fulfill its constitutional duty,