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47 Ateneo L.J. 2 (2002-2003)

handle is hein.journals/ateno47 and id is 1 raw text is: 





  Estrada v. Arroyo: Some Reflections
     justice Isagani A. Cruz*



     The  most important case decided by the Supreme Court last year was
 Joseph Estrada v. Glona Macapagal Arroyo) Consolidated with joseph Estrada v.
 Aniano Desierto et al,2 it settled the constitutional issues of Vice-President
 Arroyo's  succession to the presidency and  President Estrada's claimed
 imnrunity from suit.
     the  two cases were decided jointly, with Justice Reynato S. Puno as
 ponente.% Justices Josue N. Bellosillo, Jose A. R. Melo,  Leonardo  A.
 Quisuming,   Minerva  Gonzaga-Reyes, and Sabino R.  de Leon concurred,
 with justices Jose C.  Vitug and  Vicente  V.  Mendoza   filing separate
 concurring opinions. That made eight of them. Five other justices, namely,
 Santiago M.  Kapunan,  Bemardo   P. Pardo, Arturo B. Buena,  Consuelo
 Ynares-Santiago, and Angelina Sadoval-Gutierrez concurred in the result.
 ChiefJustice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. and Justice Arternio V. Panganiban took
 no part and explained their inhibition,
    Those  who  concurred only in the result reserved the filing of separate
 opinions except Buena, who simply concurred in the result without more
 and Pardo, who reserved his vote on the question of presidential immunity
 from suit. Concurrence only in the result suggests a partial dissent that must
 be explained under the mandatory provisions of Art. VIII, Sec. 13 of the
 Constitution. Compliance with this rule will be discussed below.
    The  conclusions in the joint decision were supported by all the members
 of the Supreme Court, presumably including Davide and Panganiban if they
 had not recused themselves. One cannothelp thinking, however, that some
 of those who concurred only in the result may have done so only to give the
 ponencia the unanimous support of the Court, possibly in deference to Chief
justice Davide, who played an active non-judicial role during the political
impasse. No less compelling might have been the prevailing public opinion
here and even abroad in favor of the new Arroyo government.



*   The  author was Senior Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the
Philippines He is currently Dean of the University of Perpetual Help-Rizal College
of Law.
Cite as 47 ATENEO L.J. 2 (2002),

i.  Joseph Estrada v. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, G.R. No. 146738, March 2, 2001.
2.  Joseph Estrada v. Aniano Desierto et al, G.R. Nos. 146710-15, March 2, 2001.


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