Let Congress do its work

By Herman M. Lagon

The loudest debates are often the ones that sound the most legal but feel the most human. That is what makes the recent argument around the Supreme Court, impeachment, and Dean Mel Sta. Maria’s position linger longer than usual. One does not need to be a lawyer to sense what is at stake. In faculty rooms, jeepney rides, and late-night group chats among teachers, the question surfaces in simpler terms: When does help become interference? It is a question familiar even outside the law. A principal who keeps correcting every classroom decision slowly weakens teachers. A department head who steps in too often, even with good intentions, leaves others unsure of their own authority. The same discomfort seems to echo here, only now the classroom is the Republic itself.

I admit this plainly: I am not a lawyer. Yet one does not need a law degree to understand the basic logic that former FEU Law Dean Sta. Maria is pointing to. The Constitution is not an abstract puzzle reserved for specialists; it is a working arrangement meant to keep power from concentrating too easily. It assigns roles clearly. The House initiates impeachment. The Senate tries it. The Supreme Court interprets the law. The tension begins when interpretation starts to look like supervision. In ordinary life, we understand this boundary instinctively. A referee calls fouls; he does not coach the teams mid-game. Once that line blurs, the match loses its integrity, even if every call is technically correct.

What makes this moment more delicate is that impeachment is not meant to be clean or quiet. It is meant to be public, contested, even uncomfortable. It is where politics meets accountability, not in quiet briefs but in plain view. In the local setting, it feels like a barangay hearing — voices raised, emotions showing, but the process still moves because people are heard. To expect impeachment to behave like a sterile courtroom proceeding misses its purpose. It is not a defect that it is noisy; it is a feature.

This is where Sta. Maria’s argument finds its weight. Early judicial intervention, even if grounded in doctrine, risks interrupting something that is meant to unfold. Imagine a thesis defense where the dean steps in before the panel even finishes asking questions, declaring that the process is flawed. The student is neither cleared nor fully examined. Something essential is lost. The same concern applies here. If the Supreme Court steps in too early, it does not just correct; it potentially prevents the very testing of evidence that impeachment is supposed to provide.

There is also the matter of timing, which often gets overlooked in heated debates. Due process is important. No serious voice denies that. However, timing determines whether due process is being protected or prematurely invoked. Impeachment is structured so the Senate trial becomes the testing ground — of fairness, of claims, of evidence. To step in before that happens can feel like closing the book before reading the last chapters. In school terms, it is like appealing a grade before the test is done.

Then there is the question of trust. Pinoys do not separate law from experience. They remember, they compare, they question. Some feel the system has favored the powerful before. Others argue that suspicion must not replace proof. Both are valid concerns. Legitimacy, as studies show, depends on both correctness and perceived fairness (Tyler, 2006). When fairness is doubted, confidence weakens. That unease, once it settles, is difficult to reverse.

In schools, this is easy to spot. A teacher may follow every rule, but once students sense favoritism, trust slowly slips. They stop listening to the rules and start watching for bias instead. The rules stay, but their meaning fades. The Supreme Court works much the same way. It has no army, no budget power. It runs on trust. When that weakens, even the best decisions lose their weight.

Sta. Maria’s point, then, is bigger than one case. It is about discipline in power. Authority is not just about acting, but knowing when not to act. Research on leadership suggests that restraint often signals confidence, not hesitation. Leaders who step back at the right time do not disappear; they allow systems to work.

Still, there is a fair counterpoint. Some believe the Court must act whenever constitutional rights are questioned. They see it as a safeguard, especially when politics can bend processes. History gives reason for that concern. So the tension is real: fear of judicial overreach on one side, fear of legislative abuse on the other.

That is why restraint matters even more. If every dispute goes straight to the Court, the balance shifts. Impeachment turns into a legal fight before it even begins. It delays accountability instead of testing it. It is like sending every classroom issue to the principal too early — eventually, no one knows who should decide.

Perception matters more than we admit. Relationships, loyalty, even quiet debts shape how decisions are read. A ruling may be legally sound, yet still feel off to the public. That is the reality institutions must navigate. Credibility is not given; it is earned and protected.

At the core is alignment. People notice when actions match roles. The Constitution assigns space for each branch, and when those boundaries are respected, things work. When they blur, tension builds. In classrooms, we remind students to trust the process — learning takes time, mistakes, and dialogue. Democracy works the same way.

Stripped of legal language, the point of Ateneo law professor Sta. Maria is simple: let the system do its work before stepping in. It is not silence, but timing. Not withdrawal, but discipline. In a climate where many feel the powerful often avoid scrutiny, letting impeachment proceed may strengthen both clarity and trust. If one is innocent, the proper forum will show it. If not, accountability should be seen.

The Court now faces a difficult call. It has the power to act, but timing matters. Leadership is not always about stepping in. Sometimes, it is about stepping back — and knowing when. The real risk is not just a wrong decision, but a loss of trust. When institutions overlap too much, people begin to doubt the rules themselves. And once that doubt settles, it spreads. That is why this debate resonates. It is about fairness that is not only done, but seen — fairness that allows the process to speak before judgment is made.

The Constitution does not demand perfection. It demands balance. And sometimes, the most difficult way to protect that balance is not by stepping in, but by holding the line and letting the process breathe.

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Doc H fondly describes himself as a “student of and for life” who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and purpose-driven world grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions he is employed by or connected with.