Philippine Democracy Online

  By Givheart Carmelo Dano  Politics as usual. The phrase says it all about what is happening in the country today. The South is in turmoil over the Supreme Court’s decision surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case. The final arbiter unanimously decided on the unconstitutionality of the charges in favor of VP Sara. Indeed  her critics are not happy.  However, Mr. Richard Heydarian, a fierce critic, again fell short in his analysis. UP people and retired justices argued that the SC is wrong in its unanimous decision. Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña labeled the SC as the “Supreme Coddler.” Coddler, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, means a person who protects someone too much or treats them too kindly. But the decision of the SC is none of the descriptions of what some critics are barking about. What the SC did was founded on the principles of natural and positive law. First, natural law emphasizes that law is grounded in universal principl...

  By Francis Jeus Ibañez  The rule of law must be both respected and feared, for only through its uncompromising authority can justice prevail and truth emerge with clarity. Those who seek to tamper with its sanctity must reckon with inevitable accountability, as the time approaches when the Supreme Court—our ultimate arbiter—must act to restrain, if not eliminate, those who manipulate the legal order. Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc explains: "In the Upanishads, it is stated that the law is the king of kings, which means that it is higher than the king. The concept of the rule of law means that "no one is above the law" or that "all are equal before the law". This was clearly stated in the Magna Carta, written in the 12th century. In fact, the concept, which is the spirit behind every constitutional democracy, is a reaction to the divine rights theory.  The rule of law hence defines the essence of a democratic government. Maboloc adds that for Plato, if the law i...