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Nanindigan si House Speaker Martin Romualdez na hindi mananahimik ang Kamara matapos isantabi ng Korte Suprema ang impeachment case laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte.
“To dissent is not to defy. To demand accountability is not to destabilize. To insist on constitutional integrity is not to weaken democracy, it is to strengthen it,” ani Romualdez.
Ayon sa Speaker, tungkulin ng Kamara na ipaglaban ang kapangyarihang magsimula ng impeachment proceedings, gaya ng malinaw na isinasaad sa Saligang Batas.
“We speak now not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. The House will not bow in silence.”
Naghain na ang Kamara ng Motion for Reconsideration upang hilinging muling pag-aralan ng Korte Suprema ang desisyong aniya’y nakabatay sa maling interpretasyon ng mga katotohanan at pagpapatupad ng bagong panuntunan.
“This is not an act of defiance. It is an act of duty,” giit niya. “With full respect for the Constitution, in defense of institutional balance, and in the name of the Filipino people, the House of Representatives has filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Supreme Court.”
Nilinaw ni Romualdez na hindi nila kinukwestyon ang awtoridad ng Korte Suprema kundi pinapangalagaan ang lehitimong tungkulin ng Kamara bilang kinatawan ng taumbayan.
“We do not challenge the authority of the Court. We seek only to preserve the rightful role of the House – the voice of the people – in the process of accountability.”
Binanggit niyang malinaw sa Saligang Batas ang kapangyarihang eksklusibo ng Kamara sa pagsisimula ng impeachment:
“The Constitution says: ‘The House of Representatives shall have the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment.’ That power is not shared. Not subject to pre-approval. And not conditional.”
Iginiit ng house speaker na ang desisyon ng Korte sa G.R. No. 278353 ay lumihis dito.
“The Supreme Court ruled otherwise, based on a misreading of facts and a retroactive imposition of new rules.”
Tiniyak ni Romualdez na sinunod ng Kamara ang proseso sa pagsusumite ng ikaapat na reklamo noong Pebrero 5, 2025, na pirmado ng 215 miyembro. Saka lamang ini-archive ang tatlong naunang reklamo.
Binanggit din niya ang Francisco v. House ruling, na nagsasabing isang impeachment lamang ang maaaring simulan kada taon, at ito’y pormal na nagsisimula sa referral o one-third endorsement — bagay na nasunod ng Kamara.
Sinagot din niya ang isyu ng due process, na ayon sa Korte Suprema ay hindi ibinigay kay VP Duterte.
“The Court said the Vice President was denied due process because she was not given a copy or a chance to respond. But nowhere in the Constitution is that required before transmittal. In all past impeachments, the trial and the right to be heard take place in the Senate.”
Nagbabala si Romualdez sa paggamit ng bagong mga patakaran na maaaring makaapekto sa integridad ng proseso.
“To invent new rules now, and apply them retroactively, is not just unfair. It is constitutionally suspect.”
“A government of laws cannot allow any branch to become the judge of its own accountability,” dagdag pa niya.
Ipinaalala rin niyang ang mga mahistrado, tulad ng Pangulo at Pangalawang Pangulo, ay maaari ring ma-impeach.
“The Supreme Court is a co-equal branch of government. Its wisdom is deep. Its authority is real. But its Members – like the President and the Vice President – are also impeachable officers.”
“When the Court lays down rules for how it, or others like it, may be impeached, it puts itself in the dangerous position of writing conditions that may shield itself from future accountability. That is not how checks and balances work.”
Ipinaliwanag ni Romualdez na ang kanilang hakbang ay hindi para magpakita ng kapangyarihan kundi upang panatilihin ang balanse ng pamahalaan.
“We filed this Motion for Reconsideration not to provoke, but to protect. Not to assert supremacy, but to restore balance,” saad pa ng pinuno ng Kamara.
