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Second Sereno impeachment complaint gets 16 endorsers

Philstar.com

September 4, 2017 | 12:00pm

Second Sereno impeachment complaint gets 16 endorsers

“Nothing can be proven against me that will show that the chief justice has betrayed her oath of office. I have served the country with all faith and diligence. I will never waver from that pledge,” the chief justice said last month. SC PIO/Released, File

MANILA, Philippines — A second impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Chief Ma. Lourdes Sereno submitted on Monday had the endorsement of 16 members of the House of Representatives.

The complaint, submitted by Dante Jimenez of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and Eligio Mallari of the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution, was endorsed by Lanao del Sur (2nd District) Mauyag Papandayan Jr., one of the original members of PDP-Laban in the 17th Congress.

Also endorsing the complaint are:

1-Pacman party-list Rep. Eric Pineda
Manila Teachers party-list Rep. Virgilio Lacson
Yacap party-list Rep. Benhur Lopez Jr.
Negros Oriental (3rd District) Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.
Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone
Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina
Iloilo (3rd District) Rep. Arthur Defensor Jr.
Iloilo (4th District) Rep. Ferjenel Biron
Iloilo (5th District) Raul Tupas
Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano
Cebu (4th District) Rep. Benhur Salimbagon
Aklan Rep. Carlito Marquez
Capiz (2nd District) Rep. Fredenil Castro
AAMBIS-OWA party-list Rep. Sharon Garin

An August 30 complaint submitted by Lorenzo Gadon, a former lawyer of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and who ran for senator in 2016 under the former Marcos party Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, got the support of 25 lawmakers.

Jimenez and Mallari submitted their impeachment complaint earlier in August, citing her alleged culpable violation of the constitution and betrayal of public trust through inexcusable negligence.

The complaint, though, did not gain any endorsement at the time.

They cited Sereno’s alleged breach of the constitution in appointing lawyer Solomon Lumba as her staff head despite prohibitions for an appointed government official to hold another public post unless allowed by law.

The group also alleged that the chief justice violated the constitution by appointing Brenda Jay Mendoza as chief of the Philippine Mediation Center Office through a mere memorandum and not by a resolution by the Court en banc.

Sereno also provided members of her staff illegal travel allowances for their foreign trips which were charged to the funds of the High Court without the en banc’s approval, said the group.

The final ground for the move to remove Sereno was the alleged negligence of the chief justice in appointing key posts in the court.

“Twenty-five as of now but they will still gather tomorrow kasi nakauwi na yata yung iba,” Gadon answered when asked about the number of signatures he had gathered.

Chief justice: I have not done anything wrong

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Cebu City in August, Sereno expressed confidence that any move to remove her from office would not prosper as all her actions were “above board.”

“Just give it the right attention so that you understand that when the time comes, you are ready, but you should not be fazed because I have not done anything wrong,” she said in a town hall meeting in Cebu City last week.

READ: Sereno accuser sees 90 solons backing impeachment complaint