Palace: Sereno impeachment hearings won’t derail Cha-cha

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

Malacañang on Sunday dismissed Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon’s claim that the impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno might hinder the administration’s campaign to revise the 1987 Constitution.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said it was the Senate majority caucus, and not the Senate minority, who would have the final say on the upper chamber’s agenda.

“That’s the call of the Senate majority and not the minority,” Roque said in a text message.

However, he declined to answer which of the two—a Sereno impeachment or Charter change (Cha-cha)—the Palace would prefer to come first.

Senate Trial

On Saturday, Drilon noted that the House of Representatives intended to send the impeachment complaint against Sereno to the Senate for trial in May.

“From my experience, the moment that we (turn) into an impeachment court, we cannot do other work,” Drilon said in a radio interview.

“(In) the remaining six months of 2018, we cannot do anything so I cannot see how we can amend the Constitution,” he added.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier said that Congress could convene into a constituent assembly and have a new Constitution ready for a referendum by May, when the country would also hold barangay ang Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Shift from unitary

The Duterte administration is seeking the revision of the 1987 Constitution to pave the way for the shift from a unitary to a federal form of government.

The administration said a federal system of government in the Philippines would help resolve the secessionist conflict in Mindanao.

Malacañang is also pushing Congress to approve the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which will give flesh to peace agreements signed by the government and Moro rebels and envisioned to finally end decades of fighting in Muslim-majority areas of Mindanao.