THE chairman of the House committee on justice on Sunday said majority of the 292 members of Congress will affirm their report dismissing the impeachment complaint against seven justices of the Supreme Court.
Oriental Mindoro Rep. Paulino Salvador Leachon said there is no reason for the plenary to overturn the panel’s recommendation to set aside the impeachment charges against Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo de Castro, and Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr. and Alexander Gesmundo.
Leachon hinted at the possibility that the final decision or the plenary action for the petition may happen when Congress resumes session after the Nov. 1, 2018 break.
After all signatures have been gathered in the committee report, he said, his committee would immediately ask House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. to include their report in the order of business for a plenary action.
“The committee report is still being circulated for signature of voting members. That’s why we can’t still set with Congressman Nonoy Andaya for plenary schedule,” he added.
He gave the assurance that their report would be presented in the plenary after the break if they could act on it this week.
“Probably [when we resume]. For sure, we will finish it [complaint] when we get back,” he said.
The House of Representatives starts its break on Oct. 13 and resumes session on Nov. 12.
Earlier, the Leachon panel voted 23 against one, dismissing the consolidated impeachment complaint for failure to meet the requirement of sufficiency in substance.
The impeachment complaint was filed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr. and Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano.
Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the Leachon panel to dispose of the complaint soon to ensure that the impeachment process would not hinder the other legislative measures.
The impeachment petitioners accused the seven justices of culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution when they voted in favor of granting the quo warranto petition against dismissed Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
De Castro, Peralta, Bersamin, Tijam and Jardeleza were charged with betrayal of public trust for their refusal to inhibit themselves in the adjudication of the quo warranto petition despite their patent and continuing ill will, bias and prejudice against Sereno.