ShareThisQUEZON CITY — With a vote of 21-5, the committee on justice of the House of Representatives set the impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez next month.
House committee chairman Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. said impeachment hearings will be held on March 1, 2, 8 and 9.
Gutierrez
He said Gutierrez would be given three days to answer the complaint, adding that a “general default” will be entered if the Ombudsman will not reply and the House justice committee will proceed in determining the substance of the impeachment complaint.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, meanwhile, urged the House to wait for the Supreme Court’s final ruling on impeachment move against the Ombudsman, saying no need to rush it.
Santiago made her reaction as the House committee on justice reportedly voted to resume the hearings on the impeachment complaints against the Ombudsman.
”It would be much better if they wait for the ruling of the Supreme Court to become final and executory,” Santiago said.
Santiago explained that if Gutierrez filed a motion for reconsideration and got favorable decision from the SC, then the House would have to “cycle backwards very quickly.”
“So to avoid embarrassment — since it will not prejudice the actual case of impeachment — why don’t we wait for it to be executory? There is no need to rush this,” the lady senator said.
Ombudsman Gutierrez insisted that she has until March 5, 2011 within which to file her motion for reconsideration (MR) on the ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) dismissing her petition seeking to stop the House justice committee from proceeding with the impeachment complaint against her.
Gutierrez said that, “If true, the Ombudsman would simply like to state that she has fifteen (15) days from receipt of the SC Decision or until 05 March 2011, within which to file a Motion for Reconsideration of the latest ruling of the Supreme Court.”
Gutierrez noted that no less than House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has announced that the House proceedings will be deferred until after a final ruling is rendered by the SC on the Ombudsman’s petition.
“We believe that this is the appropriate approach,” Gutierrez said.
House Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tanada said “it is high time that we continue with these proceedings. We cannot make the people wait any longer.”
“We will definitely ensure that, as much as we will deliver justice speedily, there will be a thorough and fair handling of the entire process,” he added.
Tanada said that if the Ombudsman keeps on claiming that she’s innocent, “she must submit herself to the process and cease dilly-dallying by running to the courts for protection.”