The Supreme Court’s intervention in the impeachment case involving Vice President Sara Duterte now puts the Supreme Court’s powers under trial.

Former Senate President Franklin Drilon pointed this out as he believes Duterte’s impeachment case would be a major test of the extent of the Supreme Court’s judicial power under the Constitution.

“The intervention of the Supreme Court in the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte presents an interesting study on the limits of the court’s intervention on what is known or considered as a political question,” Drilon said.

Drilon made the statement during the launch of his memoir Being Frank at the University of the Philippines College of Law’s Alumni Weekend. The launch was attended by former Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, UP Law Dean Gwen Grecia-De Vera, faculty members, alumni and students.

The memoir was co-published by the University of the Philippines Law Alumni Foundation Inc.. the former Senate leader donated proceeds from book sales during the launch to the foundation.

According to Drilon, the case would help define how far the High Court may step into the impeachment proceedings, which he reminded is a political proceeding assigned to Congress.

“To what extent the Supreme Court will invoke its constitutional power to correct grave abuse of discretion in the political process involving the impeachment of Vice President Duterte will be an interesting study for all of us,” the former Senate chief said.

“We hope that the Supreme Court will come out with a decision which should be generally accepted as a basis for our legal system,” added Drilon, who sat as a senator-judge in two impeachment trials during his 24-year career in the Senate.

During the event, Drilon challenged law students to pursue principle over prestige as the “temptation to view the law as a mere career—a pathway to prestige or profit—is persistent.”

“But your education here in Diliman demands more of you,” he told law students.

“It demands that you be honest with yourselves and with the nation. As I have learned over the course of my career, the most difficult battles are not won through volume, but through the steady, relentless application of principle,” he emphasized.

According to Drilon, writing the memoir gave him a chance to think about legacy. ‘Being Frank’ is now available at https://beingfrank.drilon.com.

“A legacy is not found in the titles we held or the trophies on our shelves. It is found in the institutions we strengthened and the young minds we inspired to take up the mantle of leadership,” he said.

“My hope is that by sharing my journey—unfiltered and, as the title suggests, frank—you might find some guidance for your own,” added the veteran lawmaker.