A Very short introduction to the law governing senate investigations in aid of legislation. / Amado Formoso Maralit

A. Senate Rules on Legislative Investigations -- Section 1. Power to Conduct Formal Inquiries or Investigations -- 1.1. Coverage of Legislative Inquiries -- 1.2. Wider Range of Legislative Field -- 1.3. Restatement of Constitutional Precept -- 1.4. Direct Constitutional Conferral -- 1.5. Correspondent Provisions of Past Constitutions -- 1.6. Review of Internal Processes -- 1.7. Doctrine of Incorporation on the Right to Privacy -- 1.8. Right to Due Process -- 1.9. Matters Covered by Investigations in Aid of Legislation -- 1.10. Materiality of Questions Asked to the Subject of the Inquiry -- Section 2. Initiation of Inquiry -- 2.1. Committee of the Whole Senate -- 2.2. Competence of Permanent Committees -- 2.3. Jurisdiction of Special Committees -- Section 3. Jurisdictional Challenge -- 3.1. Where a Case Pends Before the Office of the Ombudsman -- 3.2. The Principle of Sub Judice; Inapplicable -- 3.3. Rectification of Grave Abuse of Discretion -- 3.4. Investigation with a Clear Legislative Purpose -- 3.5. Doctrine of Self-Restraint -- 3.6. Judicial Intervention; Justified -- 3.7. Observance of Due Process -- Section 4. Quorum -- 4.1. Least Possible Number of Members Present to Do Business -- 4.2. The Number of Regular Members used as Basis for Quorum Determination -- 4.3. In No Case shall it be Fewer than Two -- Section 5. Petition by Senators -- 5.1. Petitions and Information Filed By Any Incumbent Senator -- 5.2. Speech Delivered or Resolution Filed by any Incumbent Senator -- Section 6. Petition by Non-Members -- 6.1. Petitions or Information Filed by any other Person -- Section 7. Inquiry by One or More Committees -- 7.1. Multiple Referrals -- 7.2. Sole Referral -- Section 8. Preliminary Determination -- 8.1. Closed-Door Session -- 8.2. Quorum -- Section 9. Internal Rules -- 9.1. Internal Committee Rules -- Section 10. Rule of Evidence -- 10.1. General Inapplicability of Technical Rules of Evidence -- 10.2. Rules of Court on Testimonial Evidence -- Section 11. Executive Session and Public Hearing -- 11.1. Secret Sessions -- 11.2. Record of Proceedings kept Confidential -- 11.3. Not unlike Executive Privilege -- 11.4. The Vantage Held by Chavez -- Section 12. Testimony under Oath -- 12.1. No Exceptions -- 12.2. Sua Sponte Call -- Section 13. Transcript of Testimony -- 13.1. A Precise Record of Proceedings -- 13.2. Copy of Transcript of Stenographic Notes -- Section 14. Right to Counsel -- 14.1. Right to Counsel of Witness's Own Preference -- Section 15. Conduct of Counsel -- 15.1. Counsel to Observe Respectable Demeanor -- 15.2. A Quintessential Example -- Section 16. Statement of Witness -- 16.1. Advance Copy of Statement -- Section 17. Powers of the Committee -- 17.1. Issuance of Summonses and Subpoenae -- 17.2. Particularization of Possibly Needed Statutes -- 17.3. Orders and Warrants of Arrest -- 17.4. Orders of Detention -- 17.5. Pecuniary Allowances -- 17.6. Attendance by Public Officials and Employees -- 17.7. The Doctrine of Executive Privilege -- 17.8. Exclusive to the Presidency -- 17.9. Executive Privilege, Defined -- 17.10. Types of Executive Privileges -- 17.11. Categories of Information -- 17.12. Not Privileged in Every Case -- 17.13. Manner of Claiming Executive Privilege -- 17.14. Officials Exempt from Legislative Process -- 17.15. Indispensability of Lucid Assertion of Executive Privilege -- 17.16. Sole Power to Invoke the Privilege -- 17.17. Jurisprudential Presumption in Favor of the Privilege -- 17.18. Finding Criminal Culpability not the Function of Congress -- 17.19. Attendance of Inquiries by Military Personnel -- 17.20. Ample Legal Remedies Available to Congress -- 17.21. Power of the Commander-in-Chief -- 17.22. Judicial Succor -- 17.23. Constitutional Supremacy -- 17.24. Partial Unconstitutionally of Executive Order No. 1 -- Section 18. Contempt -- 18.1. Contemptuous Acts or Omissions -- 18.2. Particular Acts or Omission -- 18.3. Direct Contempt -- 18.4. Place of Detention -- 18. 5. Writ of Habeas Corpus -- 18.6. The Right of Self-Preservation -- 18.7. An Ancillary Power -- 18.8. The Right of Self-Preservation -- 18.9. Sui Generis -- 18.10. Legislative Contempt vs. Criminal Conviction -- 18.11. Duration of Coercive Detention -- 18.12. Legislative Detainee within Reach of the other Co-equal Branches -- 18.13. Valid Exercise of the Legislative Power of Contempt -- 18.14. Purging Oneself of Contempt -- Section 19. Privilege against Self-Incrimination -- 19.1. The Right to Silence -- 19.2. Appropriate Juncture at Which to Invoke the Right -- 19.3. Right may be Invoked Not only in Criminal Cases -- 19.4. Subjection to a Committee Vote -- 19.5. False or Evasive Testimony -- 19.6. Citizen's Duty to observe Candor and Honesty before the Committee -- 19.7. Observance of Witnesses' Right to Due Process -- Section 20. Subcommittees; Delegation of Authority -- 20.1. Creation of Subcommittee -- 20.2. Committee-Subcommittee Dynamics -- Section 21. General Counsel -- 21.1. Only Four Senate Committees -- Section 22. Report of Committee -- 22.1. Particulars Respecting Committee Reports -- 22.2. Inclusion in The Order of Business -- Section 23. Action on Report -- 23.1. Referral to the Rules Committee -- Section 24. Effectivity -- 24.1. Publication in Two Newspapers of General Circulation -- 24.2. Senate Rules Have Continuing Effectivity -- 24.3. Internet is Not Deemed a Medium for Publication of Laws -- B. Toom for Improvement -- 1. On Direct and Indirect Contempt -- 2. Presence of Quorum when Punishing for Contempt -- 3. Obscure Quorum Provision -- 4. Maximum Duration of Coercive Imprisonment -- 5. Coordinate Branches' Access to Contemnors -- 6. Warrants, Summonses and Subpoenae -- 7. Delegation of Power to Issue Processes -- 8. Particulartization of Questions -- 9. Exception to Sub Judice -- 10. Witness Protection -- 11. Immunity from Prosecution for Defamation -- 12. Coerced Appearance of Public Officials -- 13. Treatment of the Claim of Executive Privilege -- 14. Disqualification of Legislative Witnesses -- 15. Constitutional Rights of Legislative Witnesses -- 16. Senate Journal as a Valid Medium for Publication -- 17. Suggested Rules of Engagement by the Sergeant at Arms -- Appendix I. Rules of the Senate -- Appendix II. Recommended Senate Rules on Legislative Investigations