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Impeachment provisions of Constitution


ARTICLE XI
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines

Accountability of Public Officers

Section 1.
Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.

Section 2.
The President, the Vice President, the Members of the Supreme Court, the Members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman may be removed from office, on impeachment for, and conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust. All other public officers and employees may be removed from office, as provided by law, but not by impeachment.

Section 3.
  1. The House of Representatives shall have the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment.
  2. A verified complaint for impeachment may be filed by any Member of the House of Representatives or by any citizen upon a resolution of endorsement by any Member thereof, which shall be included in the Order of Business within ten session days, and referred to the proper Committee within three session days thereafter.
    The Committee, after hearing, and by a majority vote of all its Members, shall submit its report to the House within sixty session days from such referral, together with the corresponding resolution.
    The resolution shall be calendared for consideration by the House within ten session days from receipt thereof.
  3. A vote of at least one-third of all the Members of the House shall be necessary either to affirm a favorable resolution with the Articles of Impeachment of the Committee, or override its contrary resolution. The vote of each Member shall be recorded.
  4. In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.
  5. No impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year.
  6. The Senate shall have the sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment. When sitting for that purpose, the senators shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the Philippines is on trial, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside, but shall not vote. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.
  7. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than removal from office and disqualification to hold any office under the Republic of the Philippines, but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to prosecution, trial and punishment according to law.
  8. The Congress shall promulgate its rules on impeachment to effectively carry out the purpose of this section.

Who succeeds the President?

According to the Constitution, the Vice-President shall serve the unexpired term of the President in case of death, permanent disability, removal from office or resignation. In the event that the Vice President is also unable to serve, the Senate President-or, in case of his disability, the Speaker of the House of Representatives- shall act as President until another President is elected.

Does supporting the move for impeachment mean we support the current Vice-President?

Following the constitutional line of succession, it is true that a successful impeachment would install the present Vice-President, who is popular but does not enjoy support from a wide section of civil society.

However, supporting the move for impeachment is a choice between incompetent and corrupt governance for another four years, on one hand, and a chance for change on the other. It will also be a chance for the Filipino people to prove that their sovereign will governs the country.

Hence, in case the Vice-President also proves unfit to govern, the impeachment of the President has already proven that Filipinos are capable of removing even the successor from office. A successful impeachment of the President is, first and foremost, a warning to the incoming administration against committing the same errors and excesses.

 

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