Lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon, complainant in the impeachment petition against Supreme Court Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON)
Congressmen called out lawyer Larry Gadon for dismissing the religious affiliation of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and her staff as merely a “Christian-Christian effect.”
At Wednesday’s resumption of the impeachment hearing against Sereno, complainant Gadon alleged that the top magistrate hired lawyer Jocelyn Fabian in 2013 despite her lack of experience in the judiciary because they were merely church-mates.
Fabian, chairperson of the technical working group that allegedly delayed the resolution on the retirement and survivorship benefits of justices and judges and their spouses, testified at the House justice committee hearing and categorically denied the allegations of Gadon.
She stressed that she had no personal relationship with Sereno prior to her SC application. Fabian, however, confirmed that she and the Chief Justice went to the same church but said that she had not spoken with Sereno until she got accepted to the post.
Lawmakers asked Gadon to expound on his accusations, to which the impeachment complainant replied: “Illogical na kukuha ka na lang, basta na lang nag apply. Eh noong unang testify ni Atty. Fabian, nothing personal ha, sinabi niya na that they belong to one church—‘yun nga ‘yung Christian-Christian effect na ‘yan, ek ek.”
But Pampanga Rep. Juan Pablo Bondoc was quick to call out Gadon at this juncture, and ordered him to treat with respect the religious beliefs of the accused.
“I apologize. I just don’t know the exact term for their religious group,” Gadon said.
Ako Bicol party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. then asked the committee leaders to strike off Gadon’s remarks from the record.
Garbin’s motion was approved by House committee chairman Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali. /kga