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[av_heading heading=’House panel decides: Sereno may be impeached’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Friday, March 9, 2018
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MANILA – The House of Representatives Committee on Justice has found probable cause to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
In a 38-2 voting among members on Thursday, the panel affirmed that Sereno committed culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, corruption, and other high crimes.
Only Kaka Bag-ao (Dinagat Island) and Jose Christopher Belmonte (Quezon City, 6th District) dissented.
Almost all the allegations stated in the complaint filed by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon will make for strong Articles of Impeachment, committee chairman Reynaldo Umali said.
“The impeachment process enshrined in the Constitution is made to ensure that officials holding key positions in the Philippine government are with integrity and those who are perverse in their ways are held accountable to their actions,” he told a press briefing after the hearing.
Umali said they are set to craft the Articles of Impeachment and vote on the final committee report next week. These will then be presented before the House plenary for voting in May.
An affirmative vote from one-third of all members would enable the House to transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, which would then turn into an impeachment court.
‘AS A WHOLE’
Rep. Vincent Crisologo pushed for a discussion of each of the 27 allegations against Sereno but Rep. Alfredo Garbin insisted that the panel vote on the complaint as a whole.
“If the committee finds a vote of the majority of all its members, then the probable cause exists on the basis of the evidence adduced before the committee. It shall submit its report setting for the Articles of Impeachment. Otherwise, the complaint shall be dismissed,” Garbin said.
Rep. Doy Leachon, the panel vice chair, then petitioned for the immediate voting since debating on each of the 27 accusations “would just be a repetition of what have been” done in the past 15 committee hearings.
After the hour-long hearing, Umali tasked the panel vice chairs to craft the Articles of Impeachment and the final committee report. He gave them until March 14.
Malacañang welcomed the House justice committee’s decision.
“Patunay na naman po ito na gumagana iyong ating mga proseso na nakasaad sa ating Saligang Batas, lalo na iyong proseso ng impeachment na proseso para mapanagot ang pinakamataas na mga opisyales ng ating bayan,” said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque.
ALLEGATIONS
In his complaint, Gadon accused Sereno of failing to disclose in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth the $745,000 (P37 million) “exorbitant lawyer’s fees” she received from the government.
Her falsification of a Supreme Court resolution and a restraining order on two pending cases is also a “culpable violation of the Constitution,” claimed Gadon.
His other accusations include:
* Sereno prevented Court of Appeals justices from calling on President Rodrigo Duterte, favoritism and usurpation of Supreme Court mandate.
* Sereno obstructed justice by preventing a lower court judge from issuing a warrant of arrest against Sen. Leila de Lima.
* Sereno committed “extravagant spending” for buying a Toyota Land Cruiser worth P5.1 million and shelling out “P3 million to P4 million” more for bulletproofing it, and traveling and taking business-class flights, and spending P150,000 a night in a presidential suite in Boracay after attending a meeting.
Sereno is the second chief justice to face impeachment. In 2012 Renato Corona was impeached for alleged misdeclarations in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.
Currently on indefinite leave, Sereno is also facing a quo warranto petition – filed by the solicitor general before the Supreme Court – seeking to nullify her appointment./PN
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