SC has power over process,
not over result – Enrile

IMPEACHMENT COURT Presiding Officer Juan Ponce Enrile said the impeachment court would have to bow to any rulings by the Supreme Court on “interlocutory matters” or matters pertaining to how the impeachment court was conducting the trial.

On the other hand, Enrile stressed that the Supreme Court does not have any power over how the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, would decide on the impeachment case.

Enrile said this was the reason why majority of the Senator-Judges voted in favor of respecting a temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court last week against disclosing the contents of dollar accounts allegedly belonging to Corona.

The statement puts into clearer focus the position of the Senate leadership on exactly how much power, authority, or influence the Supreme Court has over the impeachment court. The matter came into question earlier this week amid fears of a constitutional crisis because of the possible collision between the SC and the impeachment court.

The Supreme Court still has a pending petition from Chief Justice Corona to put a stop to the impeachment trial. Corona alleged that the impeachment trial was based on a defective impeachment complaint.

“Whether or not this court abused discretion amounting to excess of jurisdiction will be decided, or has to be decided by the Supreme Court, being the highest court of the land and final arbiter and interpreter of the Constitution,” Enrile said. “No one else was given by the people, the power to make a final decision or interpretation of what the Constitution ought to be or what a law out to be except for the Supreme Court.”

“It is my duty as presiding officer to respect the authority and the power of the Supreme Court to review the acts of this impeachment court in interlocutory matters, meaning matters bearing on the way by which this court will conduct the trial,” Enrile added.

“But it is my humble view that the Supreme Court in spite of the fact that it has the power of judicial review, cannot assume jurisdiction over the sole power of the Senate sitting as an impeachment court to try and decide this impeachment case,” Enrile said.

Senator-Judge Franklin Drilon however rose up to state his disagreement with the opinion of Enrile with regard to the power and authority of the SC over the impeachment court.