(Eagle News) — The camp of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Monday said they were not surprised the House justice panel approved the committee report and the Articles of Impeachment against her.
“Hindi naman ikinagulat ng aming kampo kung ano yung narinig nating ulat sa committee on justice dahil yan naman ay batay na rin sa mga nagdaang pagdinig sa komite at nabasa narin namin batay dun sa naging botohan on the finding of probable cause,” Sereno’s lawyer Josa Deinla told reporters right after the House justice panel, approved the same for transmittal to the plenary.
According to Deinla, they were still standing by their position the report was not based on the evidence submitted to the committee, and that the allegations hurled against Sereno could not constitute “impeachable offenses.”
“Gayunpaman patuloy yung paghahanda ni Chief Justice sa kanyang depensa and she actually eagerly awaits the articles of impeachment,” she said.
The panel led by Rep. Reynaldo Umali voted 33-1 for the approval of the six articles of impeachment which are composed of 24 allegations against Sereno.
Lawyer Larry Gadon’s original impeachment complaint contained 27 allegations.
Rep. Kit Belmonte said he dissented because the allegations against Sereno were not “impeachable offenses.”
A quo warranto petition seeking to have Sereno’s appointment as Chief Justice nullified has also been filed before the Supreme Court.
Umali said if the SC decision on the petition was in favor of nullification, then impeachment proceedings would be declared “moot.”
But if the SC denies the petition, impeachment proceedings would continue.