As far as Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is concerned, the justices and court personnel who testified at the House Committee on Justice's deliberations on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes are all credible.
This, in stark contrast to the chief justice herself who chose not to attend the hearings to personally explain her side, he said.
"Alam mo sa tingin ko, yung mga pumunta rito at nag-testigo talaga, nagsabi under oath, may presumption talaga ng credibility dahil hindi takot humarap e," Alvarez told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday.
"Hindi kagaya ni Chief Justice na takot siya humarap. So ibig sabihin, she is afraid to confront the truth," he added.
Among those who attended the series of hearings and shed light on the allegations made by lawyer Lorenzo "Larry" Gadon against Sereno were Associate Justices Teresita De Castro, Noel Tijam, Francis Jardeleza, and former justice Arturo Brion.
Jardeleza even accused Sereno of "acting disloyally to the republic" for allegedly using a classified document in the country’s West Philippine Sea arbitration case as part of her move to block his nomination to the high tribunal.
Alvarez said this might well be considered a betrayal of public trust on Sereno's part.
"Yung binabanggit ni Justice Jardeleza, para sa akin, swak na swak yun para sa betrayal of public trust," he said.
The Speaker said that for him, there is "too much" probable cause in the impeachment complaint against Sereno.
However, he added, he would choose to continue the hearings than to end them right away in order to extract more information.
"Para sa akin, ituloy lang yung committee hearings. Ilabas lang yung kototohanan, lahat, wag nating hintuin dahil marami pang gustong magtestigo. Marami pang gustong magpunta rito para magsabi ng totoo," he said.
"Pagbigyan natin silang lahat. At pagkatapos nun, tsaka pa lang yung committee, ia-assess nila kung ano yung mga nakuha nilang ebidensya at testimonies nung mga tumestigo dito at by then, siguro matibay na matibay na," he added.
Alvarez reiterated his call to Sereno to appear personally in the hearings and face the panel and her accusers.
"Kung hindi niyo napapansin, ang ginagawa ng kampo ni CJ Sereno, in defense, gumagawa ng ibang kwento na wala namang kinalaman doon sa accusations. Sasabihin niya si Speaker may ax to grind. Yung mga justices na yan, parang naiinggit na. Hindi ganun e. Sagutin mo punto por punto yung mga akusasyon laban sayo," he said.
"Ganun yun e, this is a constitutional process na dapat igalang ng mga impeachable officials. Ito yung sinabi ng Constitution na isang paraan para doon sa checks and balances ng ating three branches of government," he added.
The House justice panel will continue in January next year its deliberations on the impeachment complaint against Sereno.
Source: GMA News
No comments:
Post a Comment