House prosecution team: Lack of quorum would affect impeach case vs. Merci

The House prosecution team that prepared the articles of impeachment against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez said the lack of quorum would affect the deliberation and voting on the case. “We hope that it [the lack of quorum] will not happen. The Speaker has requested all House members to attend whether they are for or against impeachment," Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., chairperson of the prosecution team, said in a text message to GMA News on Monday morning. The possibility of poor attendance during Monday afternoon’s session is threatening the approval of the impeachment case in the House of Representatives, after ranking officials of a religious group reportedly called up some congressmen to ask them to boycott the deliberations on the Ombudsman’s case. A total of 143 House members are needed to declare a quorum during a session while 95 affirmative votes are required to approve the impeachment case and send it to the Senate for trial. The House prosecution team urged their colleagues to attend the plenary session on Monday afternoon, where the case against the official is set to be deliberated upon. Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III said the ruling party in the lower chamber “will get more" than the required 95 votes despite effort of some groups to derail Gutierrez’s impeachment case. Tañada, also a member of the prosecution team, pegged the number of lawmakers who will support the impeachment to “more than 140"—slightly lower than their earlier estimate of 150 affirmative votes. Gutierrez is being accused of betrayal of public trust for the supposedly low conviction rates of the Office of the Ombudsman under her term, and for her alleged inaction in five high-profile cases. ‘Disservice to the Filipino people’ Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, for his part, urged his fellow House members to approve the impeachment case, since Gutierrez herself has expressed willingness to face a trial at the Senate. “The Ombudsman said that the House proceedings were a farce and she is ready to defend herself in the Senate... Only a trial in the Senate would put a closure to this matter," he said in a separate text message. Fariñas, who serves as vice-chairperson of the prosecution team, added that voting against the impeachment case is “disservice" to the Filipino people. “A vote not to impeach would be a disservice to the complainants, the Ombudsman and the sovereign Filipino people," he said. – VVP, GMA News