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KAILANGAN ang pirma ng 100 kongresista bago ma- impeach si Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
“It just goes up directly to the Senate. Just a one-third of our House members and our hearings here will be mooted. These are our rules, and the committee on justice will no longer have jurisdiction over the case,” ayon kay House Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez.
Sinabi ni Rodriguez sa weekly “Ugnayan sa Batasan” media forum kahapon na maaring magkaroon ng pagdinig sa impeachment kahit nakabakasyon ang kongreso sa 4 Hunyo hangang sa 26 Hulyo.
“Yes, we can still hold hearings even after we adjourn sine die,” ani Rodriguez sa zoom meeting kasama ang mga reporter ng Kamara.
Ang impeachment complaint laban kay Leonan ay na-endorse na sa plenaryo ni House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez sa House justice committee na pinamumunuan ni Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, ang dating justice ng Court of Appeals.
“The committee on justice, after hearing, and by a majority vote of all its members, shall submit its report to the House within 60 session days from such referral, together with the corresponding resolution,” ani Romualdez.
“We believe that the chairman and members of the House of committee on justice will act judiciously on the impeachment complaint based on constitutional grounds and in accordance with established rules and practices,” dagdag ni Romualdez.
Inendoso ni Speaker Lord Allan Velasco ang complaint noong 28 Marso, matapos isampa ni Edwin Cordevilla, ang secretary general ng Filipino League of Advocates for Good Government noong Disyembre 2020.
Ang impeachment complaint ay bunsod umano sa kabiguan ni Leonen na mag-file ng kanyang assets and liabilities sa loob ng 15 taon at sa umano’y matagal na aksiyon sa mga kasong nakabinbin sa kanyang opisina.
Ang abogado ni Cordevilla ay si Larry Gadon na nagsampa din ng impeachment laban kay dating chief justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno na natanggal noong 2018 dahil sa parehong kaso sa pagkabigong maghain ng assets liabilities and networth sa loob ng anim na taon.
“Since Leonen failed to file his SALN for 15 years, it would be difficult for the investigating authorities to pin him down in the event that a corruption case is filed against him,” ani Cordevilla.
“If Leonen wakes up one day and decides to build a castle for his retirement home, it would be next to impossible to examine his assets and net worth since these were never filed for 15 whole years,” ani Cordevilla.
Giit ni Cordevilla,, walang integridad si Leonen “because he willfully and intentionally failed to file his SALN during his years at UP, which is a mandatory requirement for all public officers.”
“Leonen lacks integrity because he failed to file his SALNs as required by law. He has betrayed public trust,” ayon kay Cordevilla. (GERRY BALDO)
