Philconsa Disowns Fake News on Supreme Court Ruling
The Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) has firmly rejected circulating fake news regarding the Supreme Court ruling on Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case. The organization made clear that any position attributed to it about this matter is unauthorized and misleading.
Retired Chief Justice and Philconsa Chair Reynato Puno confirmed that the board has not yet discussed or adopted an official stance on the Supreme Court’s decision. “It has come to the attention of the Board of Governors of Philconsa that a document is being circulated as the alleged official position of the Association on the ruling of the Supreme Court in the impeachment case of the Vice President,” Puno said.
Philconsa Warns Against Misinformation
Philconsa categorically stated that the circulated document is fake news. “The Board has yet to meet to discuss and adopt its position on the matter. The public and media are urged to verify information and rely only on official releases through Philconsa’s authorized channels,” Puno emphasized.
The false document claims that Philconsa views the Supreme Court’s ruling as alarming, accusing it of overstepping constitutional boundaries, disrupting the separation of powers, and weakening Congress’ exclusive authority to impeach officials. However, these statements have no basis in the association’s official views.
Supreme Court Ruling on Impeachment Case
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte is unconstitutional. The court cited the “one-year rule” barring the House impeachment complaint and stressed that due process must be observed at every stage of impeachment.
“Therefore, the Senate could not acquire jurisdiction over the impeachment proceedings,” Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting explained.
This 13-0 decision was released just days before the Senate was set to restart the impeachment trial. Meanwhile, Senate President Chiz Escudero announced that the Senate will decide on the matter on August 6.
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