The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) urged the public and the government to respect and adhere to the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling that declared unconstitutional the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a statement, the IBP said it respects the exclusive power of the House of Representatives to initiate impeachment.

It pointed out that it also acknowledges the SC’s solemn duty to interpret the Constitution and resolve legal uncertainties.

It said: “Disagreement with the SC’s reasoning is neither unwelcome nor unexpected. Dissent is not foreign to a democracy; it is essential to its survival.”

But it said that “to incite public repudiation of its (SC’s) authority, or even just to call for its outright defiance, erodes the very foundations of the legal order.”

“Such actions disturb the equilibrium of powers and imperil the integrity of our democratic institutions, especially when appropriate legal remedies remain available within the framework of our constitutional system,” it stressed.

It added: “If every adverse verdict immediately becomes an invitation to disbelieve, the law ceases to be a constraint on power and becomes its casualty. The Constitution does not require agreement. It demands adherence.”

The statement issued by its 27th Board of Governors through its Office of the National Director for Communications, the IBP -- the country’s official organization of all lawyers -- said that impeachment, as an instrument of accountability, is entrusted to members of Congress.

But the political nature of impeachment “does not place it beyond the reach of judicial review under the Constitution,” it said.

It also said: “To uphold the Constitution is to uphold each of its mandates equally—whether judicial, legislative, or executive. We therefore recognize and respect the exclusive power of the House of Representatives to initiate impeachment, just as we acknowledge the Supreme Court’s solemn duty to interpret the Constitution and resolve legal uncertainties in faithful service to the Republic.”

“The Supreme Court’s ruling in Duterte vs House of Representatives is not merely about judicial review or impeachment. It is about the enduring architecture of a constitutional order where power is limited, roles are defined, and accountability flows through process,” it added.

It declared: “The Integrated Bar of the Philippines reaffirms its commitment to that order, in defense of the legal framework that holds them all to account.”

Earlier, the House of Representatives had said it will file a motion to reconsider the SC’s decision that was handed down in a unanimous vote of 13 justices and written by Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen.

Also, it was reported that 19 or 20 incumbent senators are likely in favor of abiding by the SC’s decision.