Outspoken Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon had some choice words--if not reminders--to the Supreme Court (SC) following its supposed "judicial overreach" in its decision on the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a news fourm in Quezon City over the weekend, Ridon said he would support Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III's call for joint discussions with the House of Representatives on constitutional amendments or Charter Change (Cha-Cha), if over to respond to the SC's apparent tweaking of impeachment rules via its en banc decision last Jan. 29.

“Well I will support him (Sotto) only in so far as ‘yung overreach of the judiciary into the legislature and to other branches of government. Only as to that, if we will talk about charter change only as to that, no problem,” he said.

Ridon, however, stressed that there are other constitutional tools for ensuring judicial accountability aside from constitutional amendments.

“Pero ang totoo naman po (But the truth is) there many other ways to make the judiciary actually accountable,” said the lawyer-solon.

He pointed to impeachment as one mechanism that applies even to members of the high court. “Members of the [SC] can be subject to impeachment proceedings."

Ridon also said Congress (House and Senate) retains the power to check certain judiciary expenditures, particularly the use of the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF). Congress deliberates on and passed the national budget every year.

“Even if they actually enjoy judicial autonomy, I think Congress continuous to possess powers to basically check particular expenditures of judiciary, particularly their use of the judicial development fund,” Ridon said.

“I think that is something that Congress could undertake as part of the checks and balances of Congress to the judiciary,” noted the Committee on Public Accounts chairman.

Congress is part of the legislature, while the SC is part of the judiciary.