Senate panel impeach bid vs Ombudsman not valid, says senator

MANILA, Philippines – The impeachment recommendation by a Senate panel against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is not valid because it failed to get the support of the majority, a senator said on Friday.

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero noted that eight of 14 senators (as of Thursday) signed with reservations to the specific recommendation of the blue ribbon committee to impeach the Ombudsman for allegedly bungling the plunder case of former military comptroller Carlos Garcia.

“Kung mayorya ng mga pumirma hindi sumang-ayon…kasama ba yun sa bahagi ng report na inapruhan ng Senado…[If majority of those who signed did not agree to it, will that still be part of the report]?” asked Escudero during a press conference.

“The recommendation to impeach the Ombudsman will still be in the report but it has no effect because it failed to get the support of the majority,” he further said.

Aside from Escudero, the 13 senators who signed the initial report of the committee were Senators Teofisto Guingona III, Franklin Drilon, Loren Legarda, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV, Pia and Alan Cayetano, Manny Villar, Joker Arroyo, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Ralph Recto, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Serge Osmena.

The eight senators who signed with reservations on the committee’s recommendation to impeach Gutierrez were Escudero, Drilon, Legarda, Revilla,Zubiri, the two Cayetanos and Villar.

Escudero said he signed the document because at that time it was given to him, he didn’t know that there would be a number of senators who would also express reservations to a portion of the report, recommending the impeachment of the Ombudsman.

“Ang intindi ko [From what I understood] we took no part, we expressed reservations about it and took exception to it,” he said.

Asked if there was a need to delete that part in the committee report, Escudero said it could either be clarified or there might not be a need at all to make that clarification since it was clear that the majority “took exception” to that impeachment portion.

“So hindi ito kasama sa [this isn’t part of the] overall approved ng [of the] blue ribbon committee,” Escudero further said.