MANILA — A lawmaker in the House of Representatives believes that there are sufficient grounds found in the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque made the statement on the eve of the House Justice Committee hearing on the determination of the sufficiency of grounds in the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Larry Gadon.
“I find the grounds more than sufficient. Possibly not all grounds but, there will be an impeachment article which will be brought to plenary,” Roque said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Roque said once the articles of impeachment are transmitted to the Senate, the upper chamber could start its trial in the coming months following the approval of the proposed 2018 national budget.
“People are just waiting for the Senate to finish with the budget, and I think we’re looking at another impeachment trial in January,” Roque added.
Roque slammed Sereno’s assertion to cross-examine witnesses through her counsel during the impeachment proceedings.
The lawmaker told the top magistrate to stop insisting her own rules, but instead comply with the rules of Congress.
“You’re not Chief Justice in the House of Representatives. You are Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. While the proceedings are being held in Congress, follow the rules of Congress,” Roque said.”I think she’s asserting judicial supremacy which should not be allowed.”
Earlier in the day, Sereno’s camp reiterated her plea to allow her lawyers to confront and cross-examine witnesses on her behalf during the impeachment proceedings.
In another letter addressed to the House Committee on Justice, Sereno, through her lawyers, asserted her constitutional right to counsel and to be heard through counsel.
The second letter was filed in response to House Justice Committee Chair Reynaldo Umali’s statement that only the Chief Justice as respondent, and not her lawyers, can speak and conduct cross-examination during impeachment hearings.
Umali, in a separate interview, said there would “definitely” be a panel voting on Thursday to determine the sufficiency of grounds in the Gadon complaint.
After the committee finds the grounds in the complaint sufficient, the next stage of the impeachment proceedings would be the determination of probable cause, Umali said. (PNA)