Sereno acknowledges 10-day notice to answer impeach raps

The House Committee on Justice yesterday gave Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno ten days to answer the impeachment complaint filed against her, saying that the chief magistrate is not allowed to move for dismissal of the case.

Reacting to the justice panel’s notice, Sereno, through her spokesman Carlo L. Cruz, acknowledged the notice sent her and that she will “formally respond to this complaint.”

“In her answer, she will explain why the complaint must fail,” said Cruz, himself a lawyer whose expertise includes constitutional and political law.

Cruz, son of the late Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Isagani Cruz, said Sereno has always been “a staunch defender of the judiciary and our democracy.” He stressed that the country’s highest court official has “always exercised utmost competence, integrity, probity and independence in her official conduct and in the performance of her functions.”

“The public may rest assured that the Chief Justice remains committed to her duties at the Supreme Court, and continues to pursue the judicial reform agenda even as the impeachment process unfolds,” Cruz said.

Impeachment complainant Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon, launched the justice committee’s swift action on his bid to pursue the ouster of Sereno.

Also a lawyer, Gadon disclosed that a retired SC associate justice and lawyers and employees from the judiciary may be called to testify against Sereno as soon as the justice panel will start conducting preliminary hearing of the case.

“Are you not surprised, the justices, judges or even court employees are not coming out to support her?” asked Gadon.

A legal adviser to former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Gadon recalled that unlike the Sereno impeachment bid, judiciary officials and workers came out openly to protest the impeachment bid initiated by the Aquino administration against then Chief Justice Renato Corona, now deceased.

The Senate impeachment court found Corona guilty of misdeclaring his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth, resulting in his removal as chief justice. The decision, however, was tainted with accusations of multi-billion peso bribery that benefited Congress members.

“In Sereno’s case, Supreme Court justices voted 12-0 en banc to release the evidence against her,” Gadon stated.

Chaired by Mindoro Oriental Rep. Rey Umali, the Committee on Justice voted last Wednesday to proceed with the impeachment complaint filed by Gadon after finding it to be sufficient in form and in substance.