Statements of Sereno lawyers have no bearing in impeach hearing—Umali

House committee on justice chairman Representative Reynaldo Umali INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

The House committee on justice will get nothing out of mere “proxy” if only lawyers of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno will appear and participate in its impeachment hearing, committee chairman Rep. Reynaldo Umali said Tuesday.

Umali said they have allowed the chief justice’s representative as observer only.

“Yung abogado hindi po pwede magpaliwanag sa amin (The lawyers are not allowed to explain anything to us),” Umali said in an interview with the Radyo Inquirer 990AM.

“Wala rin naman pong mahihita sa kanya (counsel) dahil sasabihin lang nito ‘itatanong ko po sa Punong Mahistrado.’ Eh di sana sya na lang ang humarap kesa kung sinu-sino pa ang pinapadala nya,” Umali added.

(We will get nothing out of the counsel because they will just say “we’ll ask the chief justice.” So why not she herself attend the hearing instead of sending anyone else.)

Umali echoed the call of Supreme Court Associate Justice Noel Tijam calling on the Chief Justice to personally attend the hearing in Congress.

READ: Tijam to Sereno: Attend impeach hearing, explain benefits delay

Umali added that the justice committee serves as a venue for Sereno to answer the allegations against her, and not the media.

He said that the committee could not use the statements of Sereno’s spokesperson since they were not sure if the chief justice gave her spokesperson the authorization to speak on her behalf.

“Baka mamaya, kung sinabi nila, balang araw, sasabihin ni chief justice ‘eh hindi naman ako yung nagsabi niyan eh. Spokersperson yan eh,” Umali explained.

(The chief justice may say something that she did not say it; it’s just her spokesperson who told the committee about that.) /jpv