Speaker Alvarez: SC justices' testimony enough to establish probable cause

MANILA, Philippines —Pantaleon Alvarez, the speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, said the testimonies of four current and former Supreme Court justices were enough to send the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to the Senate for a full trial.

Alvarez said that the statements of Justices Noel Tijam, Francis Jardeleza and Teresita De Castro and retired jurist Arturo Brion during Monday's justice panel hearing on the Sereno impeachment complaint were enough to establish probable cause.

"I think it's more than enough," the speaker said in a media briefing, stressing that his opinion should not prejudice the decision that the justice panel would arrive at after the hearings.

The divisions among the justices of the High Court, whose workings have traditionally been arcane and shrouded in mystery, burst into the open on Monday after the four incumbent and former jurists slammed Sereno for disrespecting the tribunal's internal rules and collegiality.

The four said that Sereno's disregard for the en banc's or full court's rules and process had cast doubts on its integrity.

Brion, the retired justice, said that these violations had already spawned negative sentiments among some members of the Court which in some cases had resulted in verbal tussles among the tribunal's 15 members.

"During en banc sessions, we sometimes clash with each other," Brion said, offering a rare glimpse on the dynamics among the court's 15 justices.

Jadeleza, whose appointment to the tribunal was alleged to have been blocked by Sereno, accused the chief magistrate of treason in 2014 for obtaining "through unlawful means" classified information on the Philippines' claims over the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea.

READ: Jardeleza sworn in as SC justice

The spokespersons of the chief justice defended Sereno from accusations of that she manipulated the process of the Judicial and Bar Council to block Jardeleza's appointment, saying that the chief magistrate acted in "good faith" in excluding the then Solicitor General from the list of nominees submitted for consideration of then-President Benigno Aquino III.

"The testimonies of the justices and employees of the Supreme Court carry a lot of weight. How can you debunk them if they are first-hand information?" Alvarez said.

The leader of the House however said that Jardeleza's accusation of treason against Sereno would not hold as it could happen only during war time.

"Jardeleza's testimony would be sufficient to establish betrayal of public trust," the speaker said.

He also slammed Sereno anew for refusing to appear before the House justice committee, adding that since the justices and several court officials willingly came to the panel to testify under oath they would be given the presumption of credibility.

"They have presumption of credibility since they were not afraid to appear before the committee unlike the chief justice. That means she is afraid to face the truth," Alvarez said.

The House leader also supported the continuation of the hearings and the invitation of other resource persons that could shed light on the low psychological score of Sereno despite allegations that they were just meant to shame the chief magistrate for her to step down.

"That is most unfair," he said. "Remember, we did not order Atty. Gadon to file the complaint. We sometimes even scold him for coming to the hearing unprepared. We are just doing our job."

He also criticized Sereno and her lawyers for consistently trying to divert the issue.