Meet the more active members of the House 'impeachment committee'

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives Committee on Justice has taken to calling itself the 'impeachment committee' as it examines the complaint filed by lawyer Larry Gadon against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Several officials of the SC have appeared before the panel to shed light on Gadon's allegations. Among those who have been resource speakers is Associate Justice Teresita De Castro. According to Rep. Reynaldo Umali (Oriental Mindoro, 2nd District), panel chair, at least four other justices have said they are willing appear before the committee.

The panel has had six hearings to date —each running for hours— as it determines whether there is probable cause to bring Gadon's complaint to the Senate for trial.

READ: Highlights from the Sereno impeachment hearing

According to the House of Representatives website, the committee has 55 members. Here are some of the more outspoken lawmakers on the panel:

Rep. Reynaldo Umali (Oriental Mindoro, 2nd District)

Umali chairs the House's justice panel, and is a member of the House majority block. As panel chair, Umali is also part of the Judicial and Bar Council. His counterpart at the Senate, Sen. Richard Gordon, is also on the JBC.

A former Aquino ally, he was among the first to jump ship by joining the administration PDP-Laban party in June last year.

Rep. Vicente "Ching" Veloso (Leyte, 3rd District)

Prior to winning a House seat, Veloso was a member of the bench of the Court of Appeals. He sits as the vice chairperson of the House justice panel.

Veloso ran under the National Unity Party in the 2016 national elections.

Rep. Doy Leachon (Oriental Mindoro, 1st District)

Leachon served as mayor of Calapan City, Mindoro before gunning for a seat in the legislative branch of government. The Sandiganbayan ordered him suspended in 2015 over a graft case filed against him while he was a mayor.

Rep. Henry Oaminal (Misamis Occidental, 2nd District)

Oaminal is a lawyer. He ran under the Nacionalista banner in the 2016 national elections. Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., who died in an anti-drug operation earlier this year, said Oaminal was responsible for his inclusion in President Rodrigo Duterte's drug watch list.

Rep. Ramon Rocamora (Siquijor)

A first-term district representative, Rocamora ran as an independent candidate in the 2016 national elections. He defeated former Rep. Marie Anne Pernes of the Liberal Party in the polls.

Rep. Lawrence Fortun (Agusan del Norte, 1st District)

Before winning a seat in Congress, Fortun served as vice mayor of Butuan City. Fortun is a lawyer and ran under the Liberal Party in the 2016 elections.

Rep. Jose Christopher 'Kit' Belmonte (Quezon City, 6th District)

Belmonte is also the chairperson of the House committee on land use. He ran unopposed in the 2016 national elections under the Liberal Party.

Rep. Arlene 'Kaka' Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands)

Bag-ao holds a law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and is a convenor of the Alternative Law Group. She is a human rights lawyer and an agrarian reform advocate. 

Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (SAGIP party-list)

Marcoleta is a member of the Duterte-led PDP-Laban. SAGIP or the Social Amelioriation Genuine Intervention on Poverty represents the urban poor. Marcoleta proposed a 1,000-peso annual budget of the Commission on Human Rights during budget deliberations this year. The move, which the House approved, was widely criticized and has since been reversed. 

Rep. Gwen Garcia (Cebu, 3rd District)

Garcia is a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.

She was governor of Cebu for three consecutive terms before winning a seat at the House of Representatives.

The Office of the Ombudsman indicted Garcia and other officials of the Cebu governor's office for graft over the allegedly anomalous construction of the P425.6-million Cebu International Convention Center in 2006.