MANILA, Philippines — Four magistrates of the Supreme Court, including a former associate justice appeared at the House of Representatives on Monday, December 11, during the resumption of the hearing on the impeachment complaint against their colleague, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Noel Tijam and Francis Jardeleza and former Associate Justice Arturo Brion will testify on various acts allegedly committed by Sereno constituting culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
Sereno has been invited anew to attend the proceedings, but chose not to show up. Her lawyers, in a letter to the House Committee on Justice dated December 8, said the chief magistrate “declines the committee invitation” and would just monitor the proceedings.
The complaint, filed by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, alleged that Sereno committed 27 acts that merit her impeachment.
