2 lawmakers vote against Sereno impeachment
Supporters of Philippine Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno wave during a rally outside the House of Representatives in metropolitan Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, March 6, 2018. A spokesman for the chief justice on the Philippine Supreme Court recently said she expects to be impeached by the House of Representatives in March 2018 and will go on indefinite leave to prepare for the trial. Sereno is confident of being cleared of any wrongdoing during the impeachment trial.
MANILA, Philippines — Two members of the House of Representatives Committee on Justice voted against the majority on the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Going against 38 other lawmakers, Quezon City Rep. Jose Christopher "Kit" Belmonte and Dinagat Islands Rep Kaka Bag-ao argued that there was no probable cause to indict Sereno for any impeachable offense.
READ: House panel votes to move Sereno impeachment to plenary
In a memorandum issued Thursday, Belmonte and Bag-ao said that the documents and witness testimonies presented during hearings were not enough to charge the Chief Justice.
"While there is great amount of information, rightfully or not rightfully shared, these were not material to charges against Respondent," the memo read.
The two lawmakers also argued that the "Batas ng Samahan" revealed to the House justice committee does not constitute any impeachable offense.
It only showed that members of the Supreme Court had a difficult time getting along with Sereno, Belmonte and Bag-ao said.
"The testimonies given during the hearings were revealing, but for everything that has been exposed so far against the Respondent, not one of these would fall under the definition of an impeachable offense," the lawmakers said.
Belmonte and Bag-ao also noted that allowing the introduction of new charges against Sereno without giving her an opportunity to any explanation violates her substantial rights to due process.
It also violates Article XI, Section 3(5) of the 1987 Constitution which states states "no impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year."
"To summarize, the determination of probable cause by the Justice Committee is not purely a political act that may be accomplished according to the wisdom and pleasure of its members. It is, as the members of the Justice Committee admitted, akin to a preliminary investigation, which requires the exercise of prudent judgment based solely on credible evidence," they said.
Following the House justice committee's vote that there was enough grounds to impeach Sereno, the panel will now draft articles of impeachment against the chief justice. The complaint will then be forwarded to the House plenary.
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