Arroyo to act on impeach raps vs 7 SC justices
THE House of Representatives will act on the impeachment complaints filed against seven Supreme Court justices who voted to oust then Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno via quo warranto, Speaker Gloria Arroyo said Friday.
“The Secretary General already transmitted the impeachment charge to my office this morning and then they will send me the transmittal for my signature later here in Pampanga so that I can transmit it also today to the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee can have it read out on Tuesday [in the plenary session],” Arroyo said at the sidelines of the distribution of relief goods to the Aeta community in Sitio Pasbul, Barangay Camias in Porac.
“The most important thing is to expedite it, one way or another, so that it does not really disturb the legislative agenda,” Arroyo said.
Opposition Representatives Edcel Lagman of Albay, Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao, Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list and Tomasito Villarin of Akbayan party-list filed the impeachment complaint, saying the unprecedented removal of then Chief Justice Sereno was unconstitutional since the 1987 Charter only provides for impeachment and that the House and Senate have sole authority to initiate and resolve such cases.
The complaint was filed against Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr, and Alexander Gesmundo.
Of the seven, four—Bersamin, De Castro, Peralta and Reyes—applied to succeed Sereno.
The complainants also said that these four should be disqualified on the basis of a pending impeachment complaint. LLANESCA T. PANTI
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