The Supreme Court "went into forbidden territory" when it issued a temporary restraining order on the impeachment court's subpoena on the dollar bank accounts of Chief Justice Renato Corona Thursday last week, former Solicitor-General Frank Chavez said on Friday (February 10).

Chavez cited Article 8, Section 1 and Article 6 of the Constitution pertaining to the Supreme Court's power to determine if there has been a grave abuse of discretion by any of the three branches of the government. He pointed out that Article 6 defining the legislative branch did not include the function of the senate as an impeachment court.

"In other words, there is a clear delineation in the functions of the Senate as an impeachment body and as an impeachment court, and that is why a separate article was provided for. I would say that the Supreme Court was the one that violated the constitutional prohibition. It assumed a power that is not vested in it," Chavez said.

"We're stuck with the senate impeachment court. Just like when you go to the Supreme Court and the decisions are not to your liking, where else do you go? Nowhere. That's the end of the line," he added.

Despite this apparent looming clash between the Supreme Court and the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, Chavez said he sees no constitutional crisis happening soon, even as both parties "want to avoid that. We do not know, though, the level of tolerance each one of them can take."

ACL/Reportage from Joyce Ilas