14 SC justices OK release of court records to groups who filed impeachment complaint

Fourteen Supreme Court (SC) justices allowed yesterday the release of court records and documents needed by two groups which sought the impeachment of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno.

Official copies of the court records and documents were sought by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution, Inc. (VPCI) which had filed with the House of Representatives an impeachment complaint against Sereno.

But reports stated that the groups’ complaint has not been endorsed by any lawmaker for endorsement to the House’s committee on justice for the start of the proceedings.

Sought by the two groups, in their letter to the SC, were copies of the following documents:

1. En Banc Resolution in A.M. No. 12-11-9-SC supposedly adopted on November 27, 2012.

2. Subsequent En Banc Resolution recalling the aforementioned resolution.

3. Honorable Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno’s Memorandum on the appointment of Atty. Solomon F. Lumba as Chief Justice Staff Head II.

4. Honorable Senior Justice Antonio Carpio’s Letter on the withdrawal of his signature in the appointment of Atty. Solomon F. Lumba as Chief Justice Staff Head II.

5. Memorandum to the Court En Banc dated December 2012 of Honorable Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, seeking the recall of Honorable Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno’s administrative order creating the new Judiciary Decentralized Office (JDO) and re-opening the Regional Court Administration Office (RCAO) in Region VII.

6. En Banc Resolution creating the Needs Assessment Committee to determine the need to decentralize the functions of the Supreme Court in support of its power of administrative supervision over lower courts.

7. Memorandum to the Court En Banc dated July 10, 2017, of Honorable Justice Teresita

Leonardo-De Castro calling for a review of Honorable Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno’s administrative orders re “Appointment of Atty. Brenda Jay Mendoza in June 2016 as chief of the Philippine Mediation Center under the Philippine Judicial Academy’, “Frequent foreign travels and grant of allowance to Atty. Maria Lourdes Oliveros and other OCJ staff purportedly with funding support from the host organizers of the travel as approved by the Chief Justice and two Division chairpersons,” and “Delays in filling up the posts of Supreme Court deputy clerk of court, chief attorney, and two positions for assistant court administrator,” which were supposedly issued without the approval of the Court En Banc.

SC Spokesman Theodore O. Te said that High Court “granted the release of items 1 to 6 in the letter. Item No. 7, referring to the Memorandum dated July 10, 2017, remains a matter that is being internally deliberated by the Court and, thus, cannot be released until the matter is resolved by the Court En Banc.”