THE House of Representatives’ committee on justice will begin today its hearing on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as the panel is also expected to decide on its form and substance, a House official said Tuesday.
“We are going to vote on the sufficiency in form and substance of the two impeachment complaints against Chief Justice Sereno,” Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, the panel chairperson, said.
At the same time, Sereno’s presence during the hearing proceedings was most welcome to give her the chance to answer the allegations hurled against her.
“If she wants to appear, then we most welcome that. It is her Constitutional right to confront the witnesses,” Umali said.
“If she does not, then it will remain un-rebutted and that will be held on if she does not answer,” Umali added.
On the eve of the hearing, an 18-member group who call themselves leaders and members of former senior government officials and International Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance, issued a statement supporti8ng Sereno.
In its statement, the group said: “We believe the impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives is an insidious attempt to immobilize and weaken the very institutions that our Constitution put in place to check on excesses in executive power.
“We see this as part of a bigger strategy to compromise the Commission on Human Rights, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Elections – all constitutional bodies designed to serve as checks and balances of governance.
“Because the Chief Justice was a conscientious dissenter in the acquittal of former President Arroyo’s plunder case and the burial of former President Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani; because she consistently advocates and upholds the rule of law, due process and human rights – she is now targeted as an obstruction to the administration’s ‘war on drugs.’
“Let us support Chief Justice Sereno, who continues to uphold the values of justice and due process, the rights of people to live with dignity and in peace.
“We ask everyone to request their Congressional representatives to be critical of the impeachment complaint and the chilling effect it has on conscientious objectors, dissenters and well-meaning citizens who speak out against the travesty of law, justice and our rights to be free from harm and live in peace.
“Let us remain vigilant in these troubled times and speak out so that our fragile democracy may live.”
The House justice committee will conduct the impeachment proceeding at 9:30 am at Speaker Nograles Hall, First Floor of the South Wing Annex Building, Batasan Complex, Quezon City.
Lawyer Larry Gadon, and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. separately filed the ouster complaint against Sereno, accusing her of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption and other high crimes due to her alleged undisclosed assets in her Statement of Asset, Liabilities and Net Worth and extravagant spending of judicial funds, including her purchase of a P5-million Toyota Land Cruiser and her first-class travels aboard airplanes.
Both complaints have been endorsed by lawmakers.
But Sereno earlier rejected the allegations in the impeachment complaint filed against her even as she said she was a prudent public servant who had a clear conscience and who lived a modest life.
She said the public documents released by the high court to the impeachment complainants would vindicate her.
Umali said his panel would consolidate the two impeachment complaints against Sereno after it had decided on the form and substance of the complaint.
“The consolidation of the two impeachment complaints will happen during the drafting of committee report or the Articles of Impeachment and not during the determination of sufficiency in form and sufficiency in substance,” Umali said.
He stressed Sereno’s presence at the Lower House was mandatory when the House justice panel reached the stage of “filing of answer [of the complaint].”
“[She needs to appear] after she files an answer,” Umali said.
Meanwhile, Umali said his committee would attend to the impeachment case filed against Commission on Elections chairperson Andres Bautista next week.
Former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio filed the complaint against Bautista for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution over allegations of ill-gotten wealth.
The complaint was endorsed by at least three lawmakers.