House panel drops impeachment complaint against 7 SC justices

The House Committee on Justice junked Tuesday the impeachment complaint filed against Supreme Court Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro and six other justices, saying that it has found the case to be insufficient in substance.

Voting 23 against and one for, the House panel chaired by Mindoro Oriental Rep. Doy Leachon thumbed down a motion finding sufficiency in substance that was aired by Siquijor Rep. Ramon Rocamora, a former Liberal Party congressman who has joined the Malacañang-backed PDP-Laban.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman,

one of the three complainants, quickly gave notice that a motion for reconsideration to the decision will be filed within 10 working days.

However, Leachon said the House panel will already vote on the committee report dismissing the complaint by September 18, thus, making reconsideration nearly improbable.

Nevertheless, Leachon said the motion for reconsideration will be attached to the report.

The 55-man justice committee had previously found the complaint to be sufficient in form.

During Tuesday’s deliberation on the basis of a finding of sufficiency in substance, majority of the members balked as Reps. Ron Salo (Kabayan Partylist); Vicente Veloso (PDP-Laban, Leyte); Anthony Bravo (Koop-NATTCO); and Alfredo Garbin (Ako Bicol Partylist) took turns in assailing the complaint.

Garbin and Bravo are members of the acknowledged minority group headed by Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez.

Leachon said the vote determining the case to be insufficient in substance will be presented in a committee report that will be voted upon in the plenary. A two-thirds vote will seal the rejection of the complaint.

Aside from De Castro, also cleared by the justice panel were Associate Justices Lucas Bersamin, Diosdado Peralta, Andres Reyes, Alexander Gesmundo, Noel Tijam, and Francis Jardeleza.

Lagman, together with opposition Reps. Teddy Baguilat (LP, Ifugao) and Gary Alejano (Magdalo Partylist) accused the seven magistrates of committing culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust for issuing a ruling that led to the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice through a quo warranto case filed by government and private lawyers.

The complainants accused De Castro and four impeachment respondents of bias when they rejected calls for inhibition for allegedly supporting the impeachment complaint against Sereno.

Veloso stressed that the respondents did not volunteer themselves to stand witness in the Sereno impeachment, pointing out that “they were subpoenaed.”

“They were required to swear under oath that they will tell the truth and that was exactly what happened,” said Veloso, a retired Court of Appeals member.

Salo backed Veloso as he pointed out that “bias must be proven with clear and convincing evidence.”

“Those justices who were present at the impeachment proceedings were armed with the requisite imprimatur of the Court En Banc, given that the Members are to testify only on matters within their personal knowledge,” he said.

Salo also attacked the complaints for failing to meet the requirement of substance.

“While the jurisdiction of the committee is clearly established, I have serious doubts whether the facts as recited constituted the offense,” the party-list solon stated.

In moving for the finding of sufficiency in substance, Rocamora noted that the impeachment respondents “clearly testified that they arenot in favor of the chief justice remaining in office.”

“The public heard that,” said Rocamora, referring to the Sereno impeachment proceedings that were aired live on television.

In a statement, Lagman chided colleagues who rejected the complaint saying that in doing so, they believed that the SC is “supreme even in its errors.”

With the dismissal of the impeachment complaint, Solicitor General Jose Calida urged opposition lawmakers to move on.

“Will you now turn your ire on the committee members because they did not follow your flawed constitutional interpretation?” Calida asked opposition lawmakers. (With a report from Jeffrey G. Damicog)