In a vote of 39 out of 55 members, the House Committee on Justice found probable cause to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.
Nine members voted against the motion and one, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, abstained.
In a related case, The Supreme Court dismissed with finality in a vote of 7-5-2, the motion for reconsideration of Gutierrez to stop the House from proceeding with the impeachment proceedings against her.
ABS-CBN report:
Ombudsman impeachment goes to plenary
By RG Cruz
The House Justice Committee on Tuesday took its final step before formally impeaching Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in plenary.
Voting via roll call 39-9, with 1 abstention, the committee found probable cause for betrayal of public trust on the 1st complaint filed by the group of former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros based on 3 principal allegations: low conviction rates of the Office of the Ombudsman; inaction on the National Broadband Network-ZTE telecommunications deal; inaction on the death of Navy Ensign Phillip Pestaño.
Voting via roll call 39-6, with 1 abstention, the committee found probable cause on the 2nd complaint filed by the group of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN). This is for inordinate delay or inaction on the fertilizer fund scam, the Mega-Pacific poll automation contract, and the “euro generals” cases.
Tupas, in front of the committee, adopted the “classical definition” of probable cause as “defined under the Rules of Procedure and a lot of cases.”
“We adopt that definition. We’re here to determine whether there are sufficient grounds that will engender well-founded pleading that the impeachable officer is probably guilty and should be held for trial,” he said.
Probable cause is the 4th and final step, after findings of form, substance and sufficiency of the grounds, before a plenary vote.
Justice committee Vice-Chair Rodolfo Fariñas explained his vote to qualify that there was no inaction on the case of Pestaño.
House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman maintained he abstained because they got only the documents yesterday.
The plenary vote is expected next Tuesday.
If and when the committee report of the House Justice panel gets at least 1/3 of the support of the total number of congressmen, it will then become the Articles of Impeachment that will be transmitted to the Senate for trial.
The House will then elect an 11-man panel of congressmen-prosecutors. They may be empowered to hire private prosecutors to assist them as in the case of the 2000 Estrada impeachment trial.
If I were Maldita, I will just gracefully resign. The SC decided with finality on her case and then the lower house voted to impeach her. What is left? The Senate? If most of the senators are running for re-election, she is doomed! She too will be impeached in the Senate.
If Maldita is impeached, putot’s cronies will all be answearable for their crimes. Yehey!!! I can’t wait!
Better for Merceditas Gutierrez. I think the majority filipino people are victorious on this development despite Gutierrez resistance. She deserves it and we hope more crooked government officials will be put to jail. It’s a lesson to all of us that not at all times power is on our side.
You probably meant “putot AND her cronies”, didn’t you, psb?
Is it me or is it really easier to impeach a president than an Ombudsman? Parang ang dali lang nung kay Erap nun ah?
Jug, I believe yung kay Erap eh premeditated conspiracy (if there’s such a term) kaya sobrang bilis ng mga pangyayari. Di talaga makapaghintay ang putot, atat na atat kung baga. Di ba si Pidal pa noon ang nagsabi sa press na matagal nilang pinagplanuhan iyon pagkaupo pa lang ni Erap. Sorry na lang si erap at di siya naging tuso tulad ng mag-asawang putot.
Umagang Kay Ganda tunay….. let’s sart the new day and watch the impeachment process…Now na!
sino kaya ang lawyer niya? si tabbaboy? she is a lawyer she can defend herself..tingnan natin ang galing niya…Marcos defended himself when brought to court re: Nalundasan case. If she can’t defend herelf…lumundag na lang siya..kung hindi niya kaya mag-Reyes.
rose,
I believe Gloria will lend Merceditas her highest paid defense attorney – Joker Arroyo, may mga co defense pa yan. Ang galing galing ng mga yan nung Erap impeachment ngayon parang wala yata silang nakikitang mali kay Merciditas.
Pag umabot na yan sa senado makikita natin kung gaano kagaling ang mga yan. Dapat pinalitan na lang yung “kung bad ka lagot ka” to “kung bad ka, I’, baaadder!”
ooops “I’m baaadder!”
The day Gloria mocked the Filipinos by appointing a lackey, Merceditas Gurerrez virtually mocked the office of the ombudsman by being the protector of Gloria and her mafia. Never in the history of Philippine politics had so many corrupt government officials owed so much to a fucking bitch. Now it is payback time. Sans partisan politics in the senate (hopefully), yes, Merci, there is armageddon after all. And it is coming your way.
I don’t want to be insensitive with the way things are going with Merci.. But I will make this an exception…….Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha………’buti nga sa iyo !!! If found guilty, I hope they hang you upside down and slowly dipped in a boiling pot of hot oil.
Tongue, masyado akong excited sa development nakalimutan ko pala yunfg main villain, the putot.
Merci is fighting hard. Mukhang malakas ang loob ng isang ito. Unlike the late Angie.
She was even with the CBCP yesterday-showing her clout…heh,heh,heh. Talk about the separation of the church and the state. These holy men never learn. Sila ang NUMBER 1 KUNSINTIDOR ng mga corrupt!
PSB
Mangumpisal muna si Merci sa CBCP baka sakali.
Ang huling lalapitan ni Merci kung wala na siyang kakampi ay ang mga CPP.
Nag boomerang sa mukha ni Merci ang pagtawag niya ng Moro-moro sa Justice Committee.Nalaglag si Lagman at nagasgas si Cagas.
huwag niyang gayahin ang nangyari sa simbahan ng aming dating pastor..a woman went to comfession and then stole the crucifix…
…will the CBCP be on her side? Kung mangyari ito maraming mawawala na mga Katolico…Pader Bernas ano ang say mo? I would not be surprised though if you are on her side…after all, sa Ateneo nag graduate si Maldita…and if she was a classmate of tabbaboy nauna ka lang ng dalawang taon…my question is…will the Law Alumni Ass’n be on her side and forget what their patron saint St. Thomas More preached? sana hindi..pero kung mangyari ang tanong ko lang Pader ano ang tuwid na daan?
Agree with PSB, Merci will be impeached if many senators will run for reelection. Ang SC nga bumigay na, sila pa. Matuto sila sa experience ni Ralphy na dahil sa VAT at true blooded Gloria sya nun, no amount of ate Vi made him win in 2007.
Matitira lang sigurado na maka-Merci ay si diaperman dahil wala na syang lakas na makipagsabayan sa entablado para mangampanya.
Kung meron pang ambisyon si Villar kahit sa senado ay malamang sumunod sya sa agos. Pero kung wala na, siguradong sasabayan nya si Merci na maglangoy sa ilog ng basura.
Si Angarapal, sya ang non-transparent traitor. Hindi malaman kung heads or tails ang laban. Baka may nakahada na sya na diary ni Merci dahil mahirap kalabanin si Pnoy ngayon.
I believe that PNoy will work on Merci’s impeachment in the Senate. Huwag lang nyang isugo si Kris ay panalo na sya. 🙂
malapit na ang the end ni Maldita…
psb: ang ibig mong sabihin re..”CBCP'” they are holey people (full of holes)?
when Maldita went to CBCP…anong dala at inabot? bayong o envelope? magkano kaya ang laman?
hindi ba puede na ang mercy killing? baka nag lobby siya sa mga “holey ones” na ibalik uli ang pagbabawal nito…sayang nga courtesy of putot wala ng death sentence sa atin..kasi alam niya na siya ang unang papatayin..
RE: when Maldita went to CBCP…anong dala at inabot? bayong o envelope? magkano kaya ang laman?~Rose
Sirit na Igan Rose, muzta muna bago ang lahat hehehe…pinag-isip mo naman me ha, di ko malirip, but i guess yon na!
bal: welcome back! sumakay ka ba sa sky lift at umakyat on top of the mountain? ang sabi ko kay Ellen, the next time I go home I will go up the mountain sakay sa sky lift…
sa picture ni Maldita maganda ng di hamak si “me gal so very”..at hindi siya mukhang bading…magaganda ang karamihan sa bading…sa Museum of Natural History marami siyang kamukha..apes,chimpanzees,gorillas at orangutang….
She already betrayed public trust. Wala na akong tiwala sa kanya. Dapat umalis na lang siya sa puwesto.