Complainant to file revised verification page for impeach complaint vs. Bautista

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio will submit a revised verification page for the impeachment complaint he filed against Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista.

This, in order for his complaint not to suffer the same fate of the impeachment case the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution, Inc. filed against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

At a press conference in Quezon City on Thursday, Topacio, who is connected with the VACC, said they may have to correct the wordings on the verification page of his complaint against Bautista.

Topacio's complaint had used the same structure of the verification page of the VACC's complaint against Sereno, which the House justice committee found insufficient in form for using the wrong verification page format.

"It is probably an error on nomenclature, syntax or wording, pero the authentic documents are all there," he said.

Topacio said they may still be able to change their verification page as the House panel has yet to vote to determine its sufficiency in form and substance.

"There are remedies available, kasi hindi pa naman pinagbobotohan. Kapag pinagbotohan na 'yan, wala na 'yan," he said.

The lawyer, however, said they will not change any of the contents of the complaint aside from the verification page.

"Ang aayusin naman namin ay hindi attachments e; it's just wordings to comply with the wordings of the rules," Topacio said.

"We will verify the same thing based on the nomenclature that the committee wants which is not a substantial amendment but a formal assessment," he added.

The House justice committee is set to hear the impeachment complaint against Bautista on Tuesday.

Topacio said they will file the revised verification page before the hearing on Tuesday. —KG, GMA News