Term [Highlight]

• Section 1. Public office is a public trust.
• Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.
• A public office is the right, authority, and duty created and conferred by law, either for a given fixed period or at the pleasure of the appointing power.
• A public officer is an individual invested with some portion of sovereign function to be exercised for the benefit of the public.
• Public Office - It is a position of rendering service for public good and not for private gain.
• Public Office - It is not a property. The holder of the office may not claim vested right.
• Any office (except created by the Constitution) may be abolished by law.
• Public Office - It is not a contract. One has no right to sue the government for the recovery of damages which he/she may suffer from removal from office.
• Proper maintenance of public affairs. To ensure that every elected or appointed officer discharges its functions with a high sense of public service morality who consider their positions as sacred trusts and not as means of attainment of power and wealth.
• Survival of the government. If public officers are irresponsible, dishonest, of doubtful loyalty, inefficient or unreasonable, the government loses the faith and confidence of the people, thus, it will be more difficult for the government to collect taxes, obtain public cooperation and support, secure compliance with its laws and rules, and respond to various needs and demands of the people.
• Section 2. The President, the Vice-President, the Members of the Supreme Court, the Member of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman may be removed from office, on impeachment for, and conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust. All other public officers and employees may be removed from office as provided by law, but not by impeachment.
• Impeachment is the method of national inquest into the conduct of men.
• The nature of a criminal prosecution before a quasi-political court, instituted by a written accusation called "articles of impeachment”, upon a charge of the commission of a crime or some official misconduct or neglect.
• A criminal prosecution before a quasi-political court—like in an impeachment case—starts when someone files a written complaint called "articles of impeachment." These articles list the wrongdoings or crimes that a high-ranking official (like the President or Chief Justice) is being accused of. The trial is not held in a regular court, but in a special body (like the Senate), which acts partly like a court and partly like a political body. The official is being tried for crimes or serious misconduct related to their job.
• Impeachment - To protect the people from official delinquencies. It is intended for the protection of the State.
• Officials removable by impeachment

  • The President and the Vice-President
  • The members of the Supreme Court
  • The member of the Constitutional Commissions
  • The Ombudsman.
• Grounds for Impeachment

  • Culpable violation of the constitution
  • Treason
  • Bribery
  • Graft and Corruption
  • Other high crimes
  • Betrayal of public trust
• Culpable violation of the constitution. It refers to a wilful and intentional breach of the constitution.
• Treason. It is a crime committed by any Filipino person owing allegiance to the Philippines that levies war against the Philippines or adheres to her enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the Philippines or elsewhere.
• Bribery. Direct bribery is the offense committed by any public officer who shall agree to perform a crime in connection with his/her official duty in consideration of any promise or gift received by such officer. Indirect bribery is the offense committed by any public officer who shall accept gifts offered by reason of his/her office.
• Graft and corruption. It covers all graft and corruption practices.
• Other high crimes. Crimes that are of serious and enormous nature as to affect the very life or orderly workings of the government.
• Betrayal of public trust. It covers the violation of the oath of office involving loss of popular support even if the violation may not amount to a criminal offense.