The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) urged all parties to adherence to the Supreme Court’s ruling declaring the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional.

In a statement, the IBP stressed that calls to defy the ruling of the High Court “erode the very foundations of the legal order.”

“The Constitution does not require agreement. It demands adherence,” emphasized the IBP.

“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,” the IBP said.

The IBP is committed to the constitutional order, which limits the powers of the branches of government, defining their roles and demanding their accountability.

“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,” said the IBP.

The IBP also said that, “as the final arbiter of constitutional questions, the Supreme Court bears the solemn duty to interpret the law, determine its bounds, and clarify its implications even when it revisits past doctrines or addresses new contexts.”