Concom wants proposed high court to oust justices

The consultative committee (Concom) tasked to draft a new constitution with a federal form of government wants to allow justices to decide on ouster cases against their colleagues.

The Concom, chaired by retired chief justice Reynato Puno, made the proposal after the ouster of Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno by her fellow justices in the SC in a decision last May 11 granting the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.

In its draft on the judiciary section obtained by

The STAR, the Concom has proposed three high courts with separate powers and jurisdiction – the SC, the SCC and the Supreme Administrative Council (SAC).

The Concom’s sub-committee on judiciary headed by retired SC justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura wants the impeachment power over SCC justices removed from Congress.

“A justice of the Constitutional Court may only 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. The justice shall be impeached upon majority vote of the Supreme Court sitting en banc as an impeachment court,” Section 6 of the provision on SCC of the draft stated.

The current Constitution gives Congress the authority to remove members of SC with the House of Representatives having the power to impeach and the Senate to oust the justices as impeachment court.

Experts and observers have criticized the impeachment process under the 1987 Constitution as a “number’s game” that is decided by lawmakers according to political