House fails to vote on Ombudsman impeach raps
11/12/2009 | 01:05 AM
The House of Representatives on Wednesday night failed to vote on the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez due to lack of quorum.
The number was 19 short of the 135 congressmen needed to constitute a quorum.
There were 169 members at the start of the session, but the number went down to 116 when the session was adjourned late Wednesday night.
The impeachment complaint was filed last March by former Cabinet officials and leaders of civil society groups led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga. They charged Gutierrez with betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.
Gutierrez has been accused of foot-dragging on her job especially on cases that involve known allies of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Committee Report 2483 ruled that while the complaint was "sufficient in form, (it) is not sufficient in substance."
"A reading of the complaint will readily impress one that no pleadable ultimate facts were averred by the complainants. Evidently, the Salonga impeachment complaint is not sufficient in substance," read a portion of the 31-page report, dated Nov. 9, that was brought for plenary approval Wednesday.
The debates lasted for almost three hours, with party-list lawmakers raising questions on the voting process that was done in September 29 when the House committee on justice junked the complaint.
Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel said the voting of the committee was “irregular and premature."
“The correct and proper thing to do is not to take it up and remand the complaint to the committee on justice for proper proceedings," she said in her motion
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casino questioned the lack of signatures of the committee members in the report, saying there were only 23 instead of the needed 28. He said the 23 signatures did not represent the majority members of the 55-member committee. - GMANews.TV
The number was 19 short of the 135 congressmen needed to constitute a quorum.
There were 169 members at the start of the session, but the number went down to 116 when the session was adjourned late Wednesday night.
The impeachment complaint was filed last March by former Cabinet officials and leaders of civil society groups led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga. They charged Gutierrez with betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.
Gutierrez has been accused of foot-dragging on her job especially on cases that involve known allies of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Committee Report 2483 ruled that while the complaint was "sufficient in form, (it) is not sufficient in substance."
"A reading of the complaint will readily impress one that no pleadable ultimate facts were averred by the complainants. Evidently, the Salonga impeachment complaint is not sufficient in substance," read a portion of the 31-page report, dated Nov. 9, that was brought for plenary approval Wednesday.
The debates lasted for almost three hours, with party-list lawmakers raising questions on the voting process that was done in September 29 when the House committee on justice junked the complaint.
Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel said the voting of the committee was “irregular and premature."
“The correct and proper thing to do is not to take it up and remand the complaint to the committee on justice for proper proceedings," she said in her motion
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casino questioned the lack of signatures of the committee members in the report, saying there were only 23 instead of the needed 28. He said the 23 signatures did not represent the majority members of the 55-member committee. - GMANews.TV
