If the initial hearing on the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is a gauge, the impeachment proceedings are “in aid of Gadon.”
Gadon admitted that he has no personal knowledge of the allegations and his basis were newspaper reports, notably the alleged falsification by Sereno over a TRO resolution drafted by Teresita Leonardo-de Castro. On the other grounds of his complaint, he said that his sources were unnamed officers and employees of the Supreme Court.
If the impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives are akin to preliminary investigation in the public prosecutor’s office as opined by the majority floor leader, committee chair Reynaldo Umali did not call to task Gadon but instead came to the lawyer’s aid and ordered the issuance of subpoenas to the sources of the complainant’s information.
If the liberality and partiality in favor of the complainant in the initial hearing set the tone, the impeachment proceedings should be called “in aid of the complainant.”
JOSE J. FERRER JR., jjferrerjr1@yahoo.com