MANILA – The House of Representatives committee on justice dismissed the impeachment complaint against seven Supreme Court justices who voted to remove Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice.
Voting 23-1 on Tuesday, the House panel ruled that the complaint against new Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro and associate justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr., and Alexander Gesmundo was “insufficient in substance.”
These magistrates were accused of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.
Last week the committee ruled that the complaint was “sufficient in form.”
The accused justices “merely acted within the metes and bounds of judicial power set by the Constitution,” Rep. Jesulito Manalo (Angkla party-list) said at Tuesday’s hearing.
“Were they not just being faithful to their duty to settle an actual controversy and determine grave abuse of discretion? By proceeding with these complaints, will we not encroach upon judicial independence?” asked Manalo.
Rep. Strike Revilla (Cavite, 2nd District), for his part, said the high court justices should not be punished for “respecting a coequal branch” when they testified against Sereno before the justice committee.
“Instead they should be lauded for recognizing the system of checks and balances. As resource persons, they helped this committee in performing its constitutional mandate,” Revilla said.
Rep. Ramon Rocamora (Siquijor), the only lawmaker who voted for the sufficiency of the complaint, said the justices’ testimonies before the House panel already showed their bias against Sereno.
“But what I’m really concerned about is on the second issue of propriety of some of these justices – respondent justices – to sit as judges in the quo warranto case,” Rocamora said.
“To a certain effect, the judges who testified already prejudged the case in the quo warranto case,” he added. “Is it true they are impartial when they decided the case?”
Opposition representatives Edcel Lagman (Albay, 1st District), Rodolfo Alejano (Magdalo pary-list), Teddy Baguilat Jr. (Ifugao), and Tom Villarin (Akbayan party-list) filed the impeachment complaint.
“The decision of the Supreme Court was not judicious, it was malicious. It was not fair but capricious. And it was not collegial but conspiratorial,” Lagman said.
“Those are ultimate allegation of facts, which should be determinative of the jurisdiction of this committee,” he added. “Impeachable offenses have been committed by the seven justices and they should be made accountable to the people.”
Samuel Martires, who also voted for the ouster via quo warranto of Sereno, was spared from the complaint after President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him as the Ombudsman.
On May 11 the Supreme Court voted 8-6 to oust Sereno, granting the quo warranto petition seeking to nullify the latter’s appointment.
Solicitor General Jose Calida initiated the quo warranto petition.
Sereno filed a motion for reconsideration against the ruling but this was dismissed a month later./PN
