Ex-SC justice to represent House in oral arguments on Ombudsman impeachment

A former Supreme Court associate justice, together with the Solicitor General, will be representing the House of Representatives in the oral arguments on the petition of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez stopping the chamber from hearing the impeachment complaints against her. House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr said former Supreme Court Associate Justice Vicente Mendoza, also a noted constitutionalist, is one of the chamber’s consultants on the case. “We have requested the Solicitor General to represent us as it is their mandate to do that and I think they will and then we also got Justice Vicente V. Mendoza," he told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. Mendoza served the Supreme Court from June 7, 1994 to August 09, 2002; as Court of Appeals presiding justice from January 11 to June 6, 1994; and CA associate justice 1980 to 1994. He also became an assistant solicitor general from 1973 to 1980. The Supreme Court set the oral argument on the case on September 30. Before that, the chamber has to submit its reply on the status quo ante order of the court on or before September 27, a day before the resumption of the impeachment proceedings. Belmonte said the House justice committee will proceed with its hearing on the impeachment complaints against Gutierrez, who was accused of sitting on cases involving the family of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “I’m fully supportive of their meeting but I think they will not be going through the merit of the case but definitely, they will want to assess the situation, they will want to emphasize the exclusive domain of the House and so forth. Hopefully after the oral arguments, we can have some kind of resolution on it," Belmonte said. Iloilo Rep Niel Tupas, chairman of the House justice committee, on Wednesday said the chamber will insist on its jurisdiction over the case and its authority to conduct the impeachment proceedings. [See: House preparing reply disputing SC power over impeach cases. Belmonte said he would be attending the oral arguments together with Tupas and justice committee vice chairman Rodolfo Fariñas. He, however, doubted if they would be allowed to participate in the arguments. - KBK, GMANews.TV