IN a democracy, adhering to tradition means respecting its foundational principles and normative practices. One tradition that is almost inviolable is the due deference that the co-equal branches of government — three in our presidential form of government — extend to each other.

Presidential overreach is a no-no in our specific context, and a president who breaks tradition by grabbing powers that do not belong to the executive branch is often censured or brought to the Supreme Court with a plea to invalidate the power grab. This is the reason executive orders (EOs), regardless of whoever is president, go through many reviews before these are issued. Even agencies of the executive branch are taken to court by aggrieved parties when they abuse their powers. Just look at the judicial appeal of farmers who recently asked the courts to void a decision of the Tariff Commission to lower rice tariffs without public consultations.