Prof. Tony La Viña: "Slippery slope of diminishing judicial independence" Professor Tony La Viña writes about the  "Slippery slope of diminishing judicial independence" in connection with the impeachment hearings of Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno being conducted by the House Judicial Committee. The opinion piece was published on Rappler.com on Dec. 6, 2017. He specifically warns that internal disagreements within the Supreme Court should not be the subject of an impeachment complaint as this would erode the independence of the Judiciary at the hands of the political branches of government. "There is no walking back from that; future Chief Justices…

Prof. Tony La Viña: A case of Perjury In an online Opinion in the Rappler, Professor Tony La Viña weighs in on the infirmities of the impeachment complaint against the Chief Justice, during the first hearing of the House committee on justice on 22 November. He shows how Atty Gadon, chief complainant, is “clearly wrong about the facts and definitely committing perjury.” In past opinion columns Prof. La Viña has argued that none of allegations in the complaint rises to the level of impeachable acts. The complete article can be accessed at : https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/189326-sereno-impeachment-larry-gadon-house-representatives  

Prof. Hilbay: Immunity from suit for Hontiveros' Senate speech (CNNPhilippines.com) "No Member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any committee thereof." In an interview with CNN Philippines' The Source, on 11 Oct. 2017, Professor Florin Hilbay commented on the impropriety of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre’s filing of a complaint in an office under his own Department, against a sitting Senator of the Philippines. Referring to Aguirre’s wiretapping charge against Senator Riza Hontiveros, the former Solicitor General argued that the proper venue for such complaint was…

Fake news is a 'calamity' in the marketplace of information Fake news is a 'calamity' in the marketplace of information." – Florin T. Hilbay Professor Florin Hilbay who teaches Constitutional Law at the College advocates for a public institution whose sole task will be to identify and publicize government dishonesty, to be formed outside the purview of the appointing power of the President. His expert opinion as Law Teacher and former SolGen, was sought by Senator Grace Poe, Chair of the Senate Committee Hearing on ‘fake news’ when she invited him to give direction to the ongoing discussions. A fuller account…

UP Law Faculty joins call to stop "Chain of Killings" Statement from Academe and Scholars We are professors and scholars of various academic institutions in the Philippines. We are non-partisan, non-political and independent. We teach and apply the idea that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” This statement has nothing to do with political partisanship or affinity with individual politicians. Rather, it upholds values and rules enshrined in the Philippine Constitution as approved in a plebiscite by the Filipino people, and recognized in international human rights treaties signed by the Philippine government in the…

Prof. Tony La Viña: Misuse of Impeachment Impeachment has been distorted in the Philippines- to replace policy debates or legal forums where differences in approaches to governance are litigated. The point is – impeachment cannot be used as a tool to persecute or silence perceived political opponents or critics or to subject presidents or other officials to harassment for performing their duties. This can never be the intent of the framers of the Constitution. In Rappler’s online column Thought Leaders (5th and 8th Sept. 2017), Professor Tony La Viña raises alarm bells on the way resort to impeachment proceedings is…