MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) – More than 100 lawmakers have signed the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Corona, according to 3 lawmakers attending a House majority caucus on Monday afternoon.
Cavite Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla and Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said the lawmakers will try to file today the complaint before the House of Representatives secretary-general.
Parañaque City Rep. Roilo Golez said 130 congressmen have signed the impeachment complaint.
Remulla said he will not be shocked if the votes reach 200. He himself has not read nor signed the complaint.
Only 95 signatures–one-third of the House of Representatives–are needed to impeach Corona.
In a separate interview with dzMM, Remulla said the voting is not yet over. There are others who have expressed their intention to vote in favor, but are still in their provinces.
He said it was not Liberal Party members alone who signed the complaint. “It was across parties,” he said.
The signatories will then attempt to directly transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate for Corona’s trial.
Referral to the Senate will be done tomorrow or Wednesday, before Congress goes into recess for the Christmas break at the end of the week, they said.
Direct to the Senate
In the draft complaint obtained by abs-cbnNEWS.com, the lawmakers led by Niel Tupas Jr., Joseph Emilio Abaya, Lorenzo Tanada III, Reynaldo Umali and Arlene Bag-ao cited 8 grounds versus Corona, including betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.
In an earlier interview, Tañada said that if there is already a one-thirds vote, there is no need to go through the House Committee on Justice, where the “form and substance” of a complaint are supposed to be tackled.
He said the same thing happened during the impeachment of ousted President Joseph Estrada in November 2000. He said only a minimum of 95 congressmen are needed for the complaint to be directly transmitted to the Senate.
On Sunday, Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said political forces are out to destabilize the high court by “[fomenting] public distrust and resentment towards [it],” In exchange for “ruthless political objectives,” some quarters are doing it even at the risk of sacrificing the country’s constitutional stability, he said.
He also claimed to have received reports that lawmakers may amend its own rules in order to hasten the impeachment process against Corona by “going straight to the plenary, and thereafter transmitting the articles of impeachment immediately to the Senate.”
He explained that Section 2, Rule II of the Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings does not allow this.
The rule dictates thus: “Impeachment shall be initiated by the filing and subsequent referral to the Committee on Justice of: (a) a verified complaint for impeachment filed by any Member of the House of Representatives; or (b) a verified complaint filed by any citizen upon a resolution of endorsement by any Member thereof; or (c) a verified complaint or resolution of impeachment filed by at least one-third (1/3) of all Members of the House.”
After an impeachment trial, a two-thirds vote is needed in the Senate in order to remove Corona from office. – with a report from Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News
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By: Ira Pedrasa
Source: ABS-CBN News, Dec. 12, 2011
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