House minority expects close vote on Merci impeach case

Members of the minority at the House of Representatives on Wednesday said they expect a close fight on the impeachment case against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez when the chamber puts it to a vote next week. House Minority Leader Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said he hopes many of his colleagues will be "enlightened" once the articles of impeachment are subjected to plenary debates this coming Monday. "I would reckon that the vote will not be very distant on the impeachment. If we are given chance to fully debate on the issue, many can see the light that the articles of impeachment are not strong to warrant the impeachment of the Ombudsman," he said at a press briefing. He likewise urged the House leadership not to rush the approval, and instead allow open debate on the merits of the case. "The more open debates [are held], the more members will be enlightened on the pros and cons of the case." Senior Deputy Minority Leader Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, meanwhile, disputed the majority party's estimated 150 affirmative votes for the Ombudman’s impeachment case. "Masyado naman yatang mataas iyon (It's too high)," he said at the same press briefing. House members will vote on Monday whether or not to approve the articles of impeachment against the Ombudsman. [See story: House debates on Merci's impeach case reset to next week] Gutierrez is being accused of betrayal of public trust for the low conviction rates by the Office of the Ombudsman under her term, and for her alleged inaction in five high-profile cases. [See story: Gutierrez faces 6 impeach charges] Under Section 3, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution, the impeachment case against the Ombudsman will have to get a one-third vote of all House members— in this case, 94 affirmative votes— before it can be transmitted to the Senate for trial. Majority members in the lower chamber earlier said they expect to secure enough votes to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate, after President Benigno Aquino III rallied his allies in the Liberal Party to support the impeachment case against the Ombudsman. Not advocating Merci Lagman clarified that his opposition to the approval of the impeachment case does not mean that he is "advocating" Gutierrez. "We are not advocating the Ombudsman. We are advocating constitutional tenets," he said. The lawmaker, who likewise chairs the minority Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrat party, also maintained that he has not rallied his allies “to cast a partisan vote" on the impeachment case. Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, a member of the minority bloc, said she will vote "based on the merits" of the impeachment case. "I will place my vote based on what kind of articles of impeachment that will be presented at the plenary and not based on personality," she said. — LBG/KBK, GMA News