Cayetano: Senate must align with SC ruling
August 6, 2025
Cayetano: Senate must align with SC ruling
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday emphasized that the Senate must align its actions with the Supreme Court's decision voiding the impeachment case against the Vice President, saying that doing so is both a matter of legal compliance and fairness.
The SC ruling declared the impeachment "void ab initio," meaning it never legally existed.
Cayetano said this means there is technically nothing for the Senate to dismiss, but the chamber should still take a formal step to ensure the matter doesn't remain "floating" and to prevent the VP from being under a perpetual impeachment cloud.
"Theoretically, if we do not do anything today, we are following the Supreme Court decision," the lawyer senator explained during the plenary session on August 6.
"However, human nature is that if we do not do anything, people will say it's pending. It is also fair to the VP that we dispose of this," he continued.
Cayetano also explained why the High Court did not apply the doctrine of operative fact, a legal principle that allows acts done under a law or ruling, later declared void, to remain valid if undoing them would cause injustice.
He said the one-year bar on impeachment had been circumvented, and applying the doctrine would have rewarded that circumvention.
"Since may finding ang Supreme Court na cinircumvent y'ung one-year bar, hindi ka ngayon pwedeng mag-operative fact dahil para mong nire-reward y'ung circumvention," he said.
Framing the matter as a constitutional duty, Cayetano called the 1987 Constitution "the soul and a covenant of this country" and warned that defying the SC ruling would risk a constitutional crisis.
"May option ba tayo not to follow the Constitution? In actuality, as an institution, we have to follow, hindi po ba?" he said.
To avoid ambiguity, Cayetano proposed that the Senate's motion clearly states it will "obey" or "follow" the SC decision, effectively including any future changes in the Court's ruling.
"If the SC reconsiders, then we will follow. If they don't reconsider, we will still follow," he said.
Later in the session, the Senate took up a motion to archive the articles of impeachment against the Vice President. If approved, this would effectively end the case unless the Supreme Court reverses itself in response to the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives.
Cayetano: Constitutional duty ng Senado na sundin desisyon ng Korte Suprema ukol sa impeachment case
Sundin ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema.
Ito ang malinaw na dapat gawin ng Senado bilang isang institusyon sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon ayon kay Senador Alan Peter Cayetano nitong Miyerkules.
Kaugnay ito ng impeachment case laban sa Pangalawang Pangulo na idineklarang "void ab initio" ng Korte Suprema dahil sa paglabag sa one-year bar rule. Ibig sabihin, itinuturing itong parang hindi kailanman nangyari at wala ring jurisdiction ang Senado rito.
"May option ba tayo not to follow the Constitution? In actuality, as an institution, we have to follow, hindi po ba?" diin ni Cayetano sa plenary session nitong August 6.
Dagdag ng abogadong senador, ang Saligang Batas ay isang "covenant" sa pagitan ng taumbayan at ng gobyerno, at "constitutional crisis" ang mangyayari kung hindi rerespetuhin ng Senado ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema.
Paano naman ang naganap na pag-convene ng Senado bilang impeachment court noong June, kung kailan tinalakay na nila ang impeachment case?
Sagot ni Cayetano, wala itong epekto. Hindi kasi aniya gagana ang doktrina ng "operative fact" sa kasong ito dahil nga nilabag ang one-year ban.
Ang operative fact ay isang prinsipyong legal kung saan ang mga aksyong ginawa sa ilalim ng batas na idineklarang "void" ay pinananatiling may bisa kung ang pagbabasura rito ay magdudulot ng injustice.
"Since may finding ang Supreme Court na cinircumvent y'ung one-year bar, hindi ka ngayon pwedeng mag-operative fact dahil para mong nire-reward y'ung circumvention," paliwanag ni Cayetano.
Punto pa niya, hindi naman na talaga kailangan pang talakayin ng Senado ang impeachment case dahil simula't sapul ay wala nga itong naging jurisdiction sa kaso, base sa ruling ng Korte Suprema.
Pero mainam aniya na pormal pa rin itong i-"dispose" ng Senado para hindi maiwang "floating in the air" ang usapin.
"Theoretically, if we do not do anything today, we are following the Supreme Court decision," aniya.
"However, human nature is that if we do not do anything, people will say it's pending. It is also fair to the VP that we dispose of this," dagdag niya.
Upang maiwasan ang kalituhan, iminungkahi ni Cayetano na imbes na "dismiss" ay ilagay na lang sa mosyon ng Senado na "sinusunod" nito ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema.
"If the SC reconsiders, then we will follow. If they don't reconsider, we will still follow," paliwanag niya.
Sa huli, nagdesisyon ang Senado na i-archive ang articles of impeachment, matapos nilang magbotohan.
Nangangahulugang patay na ang kaso sa Senado, maliban na lamang kung babaligtarin ng Korte Suprema ang sarili nitong desisyon bilang pagtalima sa motion for reconsideration na inihain ng House of Representatives.
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