Sunday, September 3, 2017

Impeachment yesterday, today and tomorrow | Inquirer Opinion


See - Impeachment yesterday, today and tomorrow | Inquirer Opinion

WITH DUE RESPECT
Impeachment yesterday, today and tomorrow
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:12 AM September 03, 2017

"x x x.

Impeachment today. Emboldened by this completion, many are now attempting to impeach President Duterte, Vice President Leni Robredo, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, and Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Andres D. Bautista.

Briefly, the 1987 Charter provides two ways of starting an impeachment. First, a verified complaint may be filed in the House by a congressperson or by a citizen accompanied by a “resolution of endorsement” of at least one congressperson. The House then refers this to its committee on justice that in turn determines the complaint’s sufficiency in form and substance.

After due hearing and by majority vote of all its members, the committee may recommend to the entire House the impeachment (or the exoneration) of the respondent. To approve the recommendation, a vote of at least one-third of all the House members is needed.

Under the second way, the verified complaint is filed by at least one-third of all the House members. Here, per the Constitution, the complaint “shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.”

Using the first way, the House dismissed the complaint against the President for failure of the complainant to allege facts within his personal knowledge.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said the complaints against Sereno and Bautista will also undergo the first way, unlike those against Estrada and Corona which were immediately sent to the Senate for trial.

Impeachment tomorrow. Impeachment has become quite common now (and probably in the future) because the 1987 Constitution lowered the vote thresholds. To impeach requires the vote of only one-third of all House members, and to convict only two-thirds vote of all the senators (16 of 24). In contrast, the 1936 Charter required two-thirds vote to impeach, and three-fourths vote (18 of 24) to convict.

Moreover, “graft and corruption … and betrayal of public trust” were added as new impeachment grounds. Also, our people have become more proactive.
x x x."

Read more: http://opinion.inquirer.net/106829/impeachment-yesterday-today-tomorrow#ixzz4rb53Iy00
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