BY CRIS DIAZ
The impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte shows the culture of politics in the country.
Make no mistake. After Congress established that there is sufficiency in form and in substance of the impeachment, Sara’s camp and followers started to engage in discrediting the impeachment proceedings.
The latest is Sara’s questioning the Lower House authority to summon her to appear before the committee on justice.
Sara’s action solicited mixed reactions among netizens. Some sided with her while others accused her of unbecoming an elected Vice President.
Other supporters make effort to share opinions to echo Sara’s lawyers questioning with the High Court about the constitutionality of the subpoena issued by House Committee on justice requiring Sara to appear before the committee.
Contrary to Sara’s petition with the Supreme Court my two cents opinion believe that the committee on justice has the constitutional authority to determine whether there is enough ground to endorse the impeachment to the Senate.
To subpoena Sara demonstrate the Lower House cautiousness in handling the Sara impeachment case.
Otherwise, to endorse the impeachment case to the Senate sans solid grounds would be insane. Thus, the Senate could simply dismissed the case. Waste!
Another thing, one should bear in mind that determining the “sufficiency of substance and in form” is different from determining whether the impeachment is filed “according to the “rule” of “substance and in form.”
Sara’s testimony before the house committee on justice is the last thing for Sara to avail of due process.
After Sara’s testimony, the Lower House will now decide the necessity to kill-or endorse the impeachment to the Senate.
Sara opted to question the validity of the Lower House authority to summon her with the High Court for alleged lack of jurisdiction.
What’s next? Unless the Supreme Court has direct or indirect sympathy with the Dutertes, the SC shall deny Sara’s petition.
The SC knows that the judiciary and the legislative are co-equal bodies.
It is an accepted constitutional norm that Congress is cloth with an authority to summon and hear the side of the government official, especially elected public officials, under public scrutiny to appear before Congress in aid of legislation.
(Hoy, Marites: Did you know that relatives of a public official decide whether to hire an applicant sans recommendation of the top official? That these relatives bypass the top official all the time. )
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