Carpio asks House for specific matters on Sereno impeach hearing

Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio asked the House of Representatives to determine the matters to be discussed during his attendance to the continuation of the impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. (Photo: Supreme Court)

MANILA — Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio asked the House of Representatives to determine the matters to be discussed during his attendance to the continuation of the impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Carpio made the statement in response to the invitation from the House committee on justice for him to appear in the hearing which is set for next month after the holiday break.

The magistrate, however, did not indicate if he had agreed to testify against Sereno just like what three of their colleagues- Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Noel Tijam and Francis Jardeleza- did in the two previous committee hearings.

“In this regard, may the undersigned likewise be informed of what topics or matters will be asked during the committee hearings of each of the officials and employees named in your letter of 7 December 2017,” Carpio said in a letter dated December 12 addressed to House justice committee chairman Reynaldo Umali.

Apart from Carpio, the committee also invited several other magistrates of the SC, Sandiganbayan, Court of Appeals, trial court judges, and other officials and employees of the judiciary.

The House panel is conducting hearings aimed at determining whether there is probable cause to elevate the complaint filed by lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon to the Senate, which will act as the impeachment court.

Earlier, Sereno’s camp slammed the testimonies of the magistrates of the SC who appeared before the House justice committee’s hearing on the impeachment proceeding filed against her.

Lawyer Jojo Lacanilao, one of Sereno’s spokespersons, said the testimonies of the magistrates of during hearing on the impeachment complaint were purely based on personal opinions and could not be used as grounds to remove her from the judiciary’s top post.

“Their testimonies reflected personal opinions of the justices on matters already decided by the Supreme Court en banc. Their statements did not prove that the allegations against the Chief Justice were impeachable offenses, ” Lacanilao said in a statement.

Lacanilao was referring to the testimonies of De Castro, Tijam, Jardeleza and retired Associate Justice Arturo Brion.

During Monday’s hearing, Tijam said Sereno is “mentally dishonest” while Brion accused her of committing misrepresentations in support of the earlier allegation of De Castro.

Lacanilao, however, expressed alarm over the seeming “misrepresentations” meant to mislead the general public and the justice committee hearing on the impeachment case.

“It is unfortunate that their (justices) perspectives were colored by their personal sentiments,” he lamented.

The Associate Justices testified on the allegations that Sereno “manipulated” the shortlist of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) submitted to former President Benigno Aquino III to exclude then Solicitor General Jardeleza and delayed the resolution on the request of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to transfer the trial of Maute cases from Mindanao to Taguig City.

“We do not see the point of raising these issues again. That’s all water under the bridge. Justice Jardeleza was appointed by President Aquino. The SC en banc resolved to grant Secretary Aguirre’s request,” Lacanilao stressed.

In the course of his testimony, Jardeleza accused Sereno of committing treason for divulging his confidential position on the Itu Aba, the largest feature in the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China over the West Philippine Sea issue.