House justice panel chair: SC justices forced Sereno to take ‘indefinite leave’

A lawmaker leading House hearings on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Tuesday said the top magistrate was forced by her colleagues in the Supreme Court (SC) to take an indefinite leave.

Oriental Mindoro 2nd District Representative Reynaldo Umali, chairman of the House committee on justice, belied during the impeachment hearing that Sereno is taking a "wellness leave."

"Kasinungalingan iyong sinasabing wellness leave. It is indefinite leave and I hate to say it, this was because the en banc forced her into it. So in other words, majority, if not at all, of the en banc forced her to go on a leave," he said.

He claimed that what happened during the SC en banc session earlier was relayed to him by a source.

Umali also accused Sereno's spokespersons of lying.

"Bakit ganito? Parang panlilinlang e. Nililinlang natin ang tao, hindi naman pala ito, pero iba yung lumalabas sa bibig niya o bibig ng kanyang mga spokesperson," he said.

"Pati yata yung kanyang mga spokesperson, nahawa na sa kasinungalingan. And this is what we went through as an impeachment committee," he added.

Umali said that the pronouncement of Sereno's camp that the chief justice was taking a "wellness leave" is a part of a "continuing pattern of lies."

"There is a continuing pattern of lies and deception that this committee would not want to undergo because this is putting a heavy task and burden to the mandate of this committee to arrive at the truth and to determine whether she is really fit to continue holding that very high public office," he added.

Earlier reports said Sereno was taking an indefinite "wellness leave," which was later clarified by her spokesperson, lawyer Jojo Lacanilao.

Lacanilao said it is not an indefinite leave and that it had been scheduled for March, but Sereno decided to take it earlier so she can prepare for the expected impeachment trial at the Senate.

"May desisyon siya, personal niya, na i-advance yung naka-schedule na wellness leave niya sa March a few weeks earlier," Lacanilao said. —ALG, GMA News