MANILA, Philippines—Business and legal groups on Friday urged the Supreme Court to uphold the Constitution in an impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, warning that its current decision could institutionalize flaws in the rule of law and hurt the economy.
The Makati Business Club (MBC), Management Association of the Philippines, Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) and Integrity Initiative (II) called on the court to reconsider its decision to block an impeachment trial against Duterte.
The court had said the House impeachment vote violated a constitutional ban on having multiple impeachment proceedings in a single year.
“The decision of the Court as it stands sends a dangerous signal throughout the bureaucracy that abuse of power and corruption carry no consequence,” the groups said in a joint statement.
They said that without accountability, the government loses trust, which could have political and economic repercussions.
“When investor confidence retracts, when costs of doing business rise, when the supply chain struggles, invariably, it’s the consumers, the people, who will pay the price,” they said.
The groups said the Supreme Court incorrectly treated a failed impeachment complaint as “deemed initiated,” which triggered a one-year bar for future complaints. They also argued that the impeachment process is a “sui generis” process with specific venues for due process.
“The very title of Article XI, ‘Accountability of Public Officers,’ makes clear that the impeachment process exists to serve the public,” the groups said.
“It is not to shield a government official from the rigors of defending himself or herself, but to safeguard the people’s right to demand accountability from those who wield authority supposedly on their behalf,” they said.
