Supreme Court IT consultant attends House delibs on Sereno impeach rap

After failing to attend two hearings, the Supreme Court IT consultant whom Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno had allegedly anomalously hired showed up at the House justice panel's hearing on the impeachment complaint against the high magistrate on Wednesday.

IT consultant Helen Macasaet, whom Sereno had allegedly hired "with an excessive compensation and without public bidding," made her first appearance at the House panel hearing, sitting beside court administrator Jose Midas Marquez.

Supreme Court IT consultant Helen Macasaet attends House delibs on Sereno impeachment rap. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/jVhifB2Oec

— Erwin Colcol (@erwincolcol) February 7, 2018

In his impeachment complaint against Sereno, lawyer-complainant Lorenzo "Larry" Gadon alleged that Macasaet was hired without public bidding, and with a compensation of P250,000 per month, which is higher than the monthly salary of a Supreme Court justice of P150,000.

But in the hearing on January 23, Deputy Court Administrator Raul Villanueva said Macasaet's hiring was done through "negotiated bidding," which means it does not have to undergo the Bids and Awards Committee process of public bidding.

Gadon also floated in the same hearing the possibility that Macasaet may have had connections inside the Chief Justice's office.

He claimed that he received information from someone working at the Office of the Chief Justice that Macasaet's child is a friend of Sereno's chief of staff Atty. Maria Lourdes Oliveros.

But lawyer Jojo Lacanilao, one of Sereno's spokespersons, maintained that there was nothing irregular in Macasaet's hiring as IT consultant.

“The Supreme Court hired Ms. Macasaet from among three choices through negotiated procurement because her services are highly technical in nature and, therefore, exempted from public bidding under Section 53.7 of the 2009 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of R.A. 9184,” he said in an earlier press statement. —KG, GMA News