(Eagle News) – Voting 38-2, the House Committee on Justice on Thursday, March 8, found “probable cause to impeach” Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
This was announced by House Committee on Justice chair Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali who also stressed how the proceedings in the case were very much different from what happened with the impeachment of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Umali earlier announced that the voting was 37-2, but he later corrected it to 38-2.
The justice committee then immediately set March 14 as the next hearing for them to deliberate and prepare the articles of impeachment that it would submit to the plenary for voting.
The voting included ex-officio members of the House justice committee, as well as its deputized members.
The two lawmakers who did not find probable cause to impeach Sereno were Quezon City 6th District Representative Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmonte and Dinagat Representative Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao.
Immediately after the voting, House majority floor leader Rodolfo Farinas moved for all vice-chairpersons of the impeachment committee and the justice committee, to be “constituted into a small body” that will write the committee report as well as the articles of impeachment.
–Articles of impeachment vs Sereno need to be carefully studied, says Farinas-
Before this, Farinas had advised the impeachment committee to study very carefully how to craft the articles of impeachment against Sereno, citing what happened with the fast-tracking of the impeachment case against the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.
“Na-impeach si chief justice corona without any hearing. Hindi man lang binigyan ng pagkakataon si Chief Justice Corona na makapagsalita,” he said.
He recalled that the congressmen who went to the Senate trial then, had to trim down the original eight articles of impeachment against Corona in 2012.
“Pagdating po doon, para po kaming nangangapa-ngapa roon. Napagsasabihan. Napagtatawanan, hanggang inalis naming yung ibang articles of impeachment,” Farinas said.
“At yan ang payo ko sa atin ngayon dito. Pag-aralan mabuti ang committee report natin. When we prepare the articles of impeachment, let us take a few only. Kasi when we go to trial, if ever we go to trial, we have to prove each article of impeachment. Matagal po yan,” he explained.
Rep. Umali, on the other hand, said that in the proceedings on Sereno, it was the other way around, and entirely different from what happened with the Corona impeachment.
The House justice committee had been repeatedly inviting Sereno to present her side during the deliberations, but she had consistently refused to the attend the hearings.
The House committee on justice conducted 18 hearings in all to deliberate the impeachment complaint filed against Sereno.
The impeachment complaint against Sereno was filed by lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon.
It cited four grounds: culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust.
Farinas earlier said that that it would take a while before the plenary could deliberate on the articles of impeachment against Sereno, as they would still have to wait for the House Justice committee report as well as the articles of impeachment that the committee will prepare.
He said that this would most likely be taken up after Congress adjourns again on May 14. The last session day of Congress is on March 23. Congress adjourns on March 24. (Eagle News Service)