黑料社

The two doctors who reportedly gave Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno poor marks in her psychiatric assessment have asked the House justice committee to discuss the matter in an executive session.

At the resumption of the House panel hearing on Sereno鈥檚 impeachment on Tuesday, Doctors Dulce Liza Sahagun Reyes and Genuina Ranoy expressed their willingness to discuss Sereno鈥檚 psychological exam, but in a closed-door session.

House committee chairman Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said member would have to discuss their request even as lawmakers offered legislative immunity to the doctors.

But Umali said the committee still has to wait for House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez鈥檚 decision whether he would allow the granting of immunity over the two psychiatrists.

In his impeachment complaint against Sereno, lawyer Larry Gadon cited news reports and alleged that Sereno failed the psychological exam administered by the JBC, receiving a grade of 鈥渇our鈥� with 鈥渇ive鈥� being the lowest, making her unfit for the Chief Justice job.

鈥淗er psychiatric report described her as 鈥榙ramatic and emotional鈥�. True enough, this has been manifested throughout her five years in office,鈥� Gadon wrote in the complaint.

Sereno鈥檚 camp, meanwhile, protested the scrutiny of her psychiatric test. They asserted that the House of Representatives has no business analyzing the result of her psychological assessment as it is not among the grounds for impeachment under the Constitution.

Lawyer Jojo Lacanilao, one of the spokespersons of Sereno, maintained that Gadon鈥檚 complaint was 鈥渂ogus鈥� for including the top magistrate鈥檚 psychological report as among his grounds to remove Sereno from her post.

鈥淐ongress鈥� concerns about removal from office should focus on the specific grounds stated in the Constitution, and the psychological report is not one of them,鈥� Lacanilao said.

鈥淓xpanding and redefining the grounds for impeachment is itself a violation of the constitutional provision,鈥� he also pointed out.聽聽聽聽 聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 /kga