THE House committee on rules on Tuesday, May 15, deferred action on the House justice committee's report and the accompanying articles of impeachment against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
House Majority Leader and committee on rules chair Rodolfo Fariñas said his committee has decided to hold in abeyance its action pending the finality of the Supreme Court's decision on the quo warranto petition filed against Sereno.
"We will hold in abeyance action on the committee report of the committee on justice. In fact I have excluded it in our agenda because we will wait for the action of the Supreme Court out of respect to a co-equal department," he said.
The committee on rules was expected to discuss today when it will elevate the impeachment complaint against Sereno in the plenary for voting.
The Supreme Court, voting 8-6 granted on May 11 the petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General seeking to invalidate Sereno's appointment for failure to file her Statement of Assets Liabilities and Networth (SALN).
The court declared the post of Sereno vacant after it found her guilty of unlawfully holding and exercising the office of the chief justice.
Sereno vowed to challenge the decision of her colleagues.
Fariñas said the committee on rules will wait for the resolution of Sereno's motion for reconsideration.
He said that once the decision of the Court becomes final and executory, he will recommend before the plenary the dismissal of the committee report against the Chief Justice for being moot and academic.
"Kung tinanggal na siya, hindi na siya chief justice, wala ng impeachment (If she is removed, then she is no longer chief justice. There would be no impeachment)," he said.
The committee on rules has until July 24 to calendar the justice committee's report against Sereno, according to Fariñas. (SunStar Philippines)