Manila: Documents to impeach the Supreme Court chief justice have been sent to the Philippine Senate on Tuesday.
A majority of the House of Representatives on Monday signed an impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, an ally of former president Gloria Arroyo, now arch-rival of President Benigno Aquino.
Some 175 congressmen have already signed the articles of impeachment, said House Speaker Feliciano ‘Sonny' Belmonte, adding the eight articles of impeachment against Corona were immediately brought to the plenary session for approval by the House Committee of Justice.
The Senate, however, has begun its Christmas break. "We can start to calendar the hearing of the impeachment trial," said Senator Franklin Drilon.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said only President Aquino has the power to order a special session of the Senate to hear the impeachment complaint.
Congressmen Joseph Abaya, Arlene Bag-ao, Reynaldo Umali, Lorenzo Tanada and Niel Tupas Jr., cited eight grounds for Corona's impeachment
They accused Corona of being Arroyo's "midnight appointee" and for voting on cases involving Arroyo that showed partiality to her.
They also blamed Corona for the Supreme Court's ruling to give a temporary restraining order on the watch-list order imposed by the justice department on former president Gloria Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo.
They blamed Corona for failing to account for the judiciary development fund and special allowance for the judiciary.
They criticised Corona for issuing a "status quo ante" against the House of Representatives when former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez was being impeached.
They also cited the Supreme Court's ruling on the creation of six cities and the promotion of Dinagat island into a province.
They criticised Corona for creating a committee to investigate a Supreme Court justice and to exculpate him. This was supposed to be done by the House of Represenatives, the complainants said.
Corona allegedly failed to disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, the complainants said. They accused him of not being "a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence".
Private complainants included former Congresswoman Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel, former whistle-blower Rodolfo Lozada Jr, and singer Lea Navarro who led a campaign against Arroyo in 2004.
‘Mother of all blackmails'
In reaction, minority floor leader Congressman Edcel Lagman said: "This is a mother of all blackmails. I learned that many congressmen refused to sign, but they were coerced."
Congressman Mitos Magsaysay blamed President Aquino for move to impeach Corona, adding that "this administration is against people who have been against the administration".
"The impeachment complaint was railroaded," said observer Juanito Navida.
"This is the start of a telenovela [TV drama of the government] while many people are going hungry," anchorman Rene Sta. Cruz said on radio. Earlier, at the flag raising ceremony at the Supreme Court, Corona said there was a "mobilisation of a secret plan to oust me from office, by any means — fair or foul".
