The on-going hearing on the impeachment case against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno at the House of Representatives is now “futile” and should prompt congressmen to just elevate the matter to the Senate for a full-blow impeachment trial.
This was the statement made by Sereno’s camp on Monday following the admission of House justice committee chair Rep. Reynaldo Umali that the impeachment of the top magistrate is already a done deal.
In an interview over radio station dzBB on Sunday, Umali said the committee hearings on the determination of probable cause to impeach Sereno and try her before the Senate would “perhaps” be just a matter of formality.
“The Speaker (Pantaleon Alvarez) had spoken already, and you know the supermajority,” Umali said.
READ: ‘Writing is already on the wall’ for Sereno, says impeachment panel head
Lawyer Josa Deinla, one of Sereno’s spokespersons, said “it was puzzling that both Alvarez and Umali are claiming that there is a strong ground to remove the top magistrate from office while still continuing with the committee’s fishing expedition to boost the baseless and malicious allegations of Atty. Lorenzo Gadon.”
“Why will the CJ attend the hearing when Umali has said that it’s a mere formality because Speaker Alvarez wanted her impeached and they will impeach her?” Deinla said in a statement.
In view of this, Deinla reiterated their belief that the impeachment proceedings will be nothing but a “charade,” a “vilification campaign” and “fishing expedition” to “cover up for a fatally defective complaint” against Sereno.
“Dapat pagbotohan na ito ng Kongreso at iakyat na sa Senado kung saan kami ay umaasa na magkakaroon ng patas na paglilitis at rerespetuhin ang mga karapatan ni Chief Justice na naaayon sa Konstitusyon,” Deinla said. /kga
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