House toes Noy line, defies SC; impeach Merci on By Gerry Baldo and Charlie V. Manalo 02/23/2011

House toes Noy line, defies SC; impeach Merci on

By Gerry Baldo and Charlie V. Manalo 02/23/2011

Calls from Malacañang were allegedly made to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte for the justice committee to go ahead with the impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, despite an earlier call from the Supreme Court for the House to wait for the final decision of the SC, with a motion for reconsideration (MR) yet to be filed by the Ombudsman.

Yesterday, the Speaker changed his tune, reportedly after President Aquino allegedly called Belmonte and other Palace allies to a meeting to hatch an impeachment strategy against the Ombudsman, with the House committee on justice voting to proceed with the impeachment hearing while disregarding the possible outcome of the MR the Ombudsman is expected to file before the high court.

Voting 21-5, the panel, headed by Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, approved yesterday to proceed with the impeachment proceedings vowing to resolve the case as soon as possible.

The panel decision was a complete turnaround from Belmonte’s earlier statement that the House would wait for the outcome of Gutierrez’s MR before the SC questioning the earlier decision of the House panel to hear two different impeachment complaints lodged against her. Gutierrez has until March 2, 2011 to file her MR..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110223hed2.html