Speaker, House panel clash

THE House leadership and the committee on justice, both known allies of President Benigno Aquino III, are divided on the status quo order of the Supreme Court on the impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said that the justice committee should abide, in the meantime, by the order of the SC as a gesture of courtesy to a co-equal branch of government.

Justice committee chairman Neil Tupas, Jr. and Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada however firmly insisted on resuming the impeachment hearing on September 28 and 29.

Both Tupas and Tañada stressed that hearing the impeachment petition against Gutierrez is within the jurisdiction of Congress and the SC is encroaching on its mandated function.

“We have to abide by SC ruling) for the meantime. I don’t want to look at it as a confrontation between the Ombudsman and ourselves or between the SC and ourselves but at this stage I want to look at it as a clarification of what the situation actually is,” Belmonte said.

Belmonte said it is premature to be quarreling over anything that is why he is giving the committee a free hand to study the matter carefully.

“The chairman of the justice committee looks at it from his point of view as chairman but I look at it from the overall point of view of this branch of the government, and he has made his viewpoint clear and I have made my viewpoint clear. People just want to know what’s going on and let’s give them the chance,” Belmonte said.

But Tupas insisted that the proceedings should continue. On September 28 and 29 the committee will receive the response of Gutierrez on the two complaints and likewise will decide if the grounds cited in the cases are sufficient.

Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said that the committee on justice should heed the request of Belmonte.

Lagman stressed that legislators should show courtesy to a co-equal branch of government and respect the decision of the SC.

He maintained it is the committee on justice that is creating a Constitutional crisis.

Lagman reminded Tupas and Tañada that the power of the House to impeach is not absolute and is subject to the constitutional power of the SC under the policy of checks and balances.

He asked majority lawmakers to exercise caution and restraint in calling the SC an “Arroyo Court” because justices are beholden only to the tenets of justice and the rule of law.

He said the minority group will attend the resumption of the hearing only to ask the majority members to stop the proceedings as the SC has ordered.

“I think the leadership of the committee on justice should heed the advice of the Speaker, that we should abide by the order of SC. And possibly on its own find how the infirmity can be solved rather than be bullheaded and defy the SC and create a Constitutional crisis,” he added.

Jester Manalastas, Journal Online