(Eagle News) – House Justice Committee chair Reynaldo Umali said on Thursday, April 12, that the conduct of impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was a “priority” of the House of Representatives even before President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for Congress to “fast-track” the impeachment.
“Iyan po talaga ang gagawin namin not because of the President’s pronouncement but because that is really a priority agenda of the House of Representatives,” Umali, who is also the 2nd District Oriental Mindoro representative, said in an interview over Net 25.
According to Umali, they were just waiting for Congress to resume session in May so the plenary could vote on the committee report and the Articles of Impeachment against Sereno.
Once this was done, he said the plenary would vote for the list of prosecutors.
“Sa amin po ay wala na (doubts about impeachment). Sabi ko nga noon pa in the middle of our investigation, the writing is on the wall,” he said.
Senate concern
As such, the lawmaker said that President Duterte’s call was “more the concern now of the senator-judges who will resolve the case once this is celebrated to the Senate for trial.”
According to Umali, even with the quo warranto petition filed against Sereno pending before the Supreme Court, the Senate can proceed with impeachment proceedings.
He said the processes of impeachment and quo warranto were, after all, “different.”
“Yan naman ay Supreme Court quo warranto petition. Ang ground niyan ay yung disqualification, lack of qualification. Sa amin naman po ang presumption is valid ‘yung appointment and she committed acts constituting a violation of the Constitution,” he added.
He said that if the Supreme Court releases its decision declaring Sereno’s appointment as void, and that becomes final and executory, the impeachment proceedings would therefore be rendered “moot and academic.”