House forms initial list of solons to form prosecution panel in impeach trial

MANILA, Philippines – Confident of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez’s impeachment, the House of Representatives has formed an initial list of lawmakers who would act as prosecutors in the looming trial in the Senate.

Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., the chairman of the justice committee that conducted the impeachment hearings, named the following lawmakers as among the members of the prosecution team: Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada III, Deputy Speaker Raul Daza, Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Farinas, Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo Umali, and partylist Representatives Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao of Akbayan and Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna.

Tupas said he would also be part of the team and was willing to head it if nominated.

The list will be submitted to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. for formal nomination at the plenary Tuesday afternoon.

Tupas said the House would have an 11-member prosecution team that would defend the impeachment complaint in the Senate.

Tupas said the seven lawmakers would also craft the committee report containing the Articles of Impeachment to be submitted in the plenary March 14.

He said he hoped that plenary debates on the committee report would begin on March 15.

Earlier in the day, the justice committee found probable cause to remove Gutierrez from her post for betrayal of public trust based on six allegations contained in two separate impeachment complaints.

The allegations were for Gutierrez’s alleged low conviction rate of the cases pending before her office, her inaction on the alleged murder case of Navy Ensign Philip Pestano, and her failure to prosecute officials involved in the botched national broadband network agreement with Chinese firm ZTE Corporation.

The second complaint was filed over Gutierrez’s “failure and omission to act promptly . . . on the anomalous disbursement of funds and other anomalous transactions” in the case of the P729-million fertilizer fund scam, the Commission on Elections contract with MegaPacific Corp., and the case of the generals who stashed away thousands of euros in Russia.