Published: 2:37 p.m., April 9, 2018 | Updated: 4:29 p.m., April 9, 2018
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is bound to heed the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to fast-track the impeachment process against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
鈥淚t will be done once we resume sessions,鈥� Alvarez told 好色先生TV in a text message on Monday, moments after the President said he would ask the House of Representatives to impeach Sereno right away.
Pressed if he was confident that the chief justice, who is currently聽 on leave, would be ousted through impeachment, Alvarez said: 鈥淵es, we have a very strong case to impeach her.鈥�
During聽Monday鈥檚聽press conference in Davao City, shortly before he flew off to China, Duterte told Sereno: 鈥淚鈥檓 putting you on notice that I鈥檓 your enemy and you have to be out of the Supreme Court.鈥�
鈥淚 will see to it. And after that, I will request Congress go to the impeachment right away,鈥� he added.
Duterte also said he would ask Alvarez to expedite the impeachment proceedings against the top magistrate, saying she was 鈥渂ad for the Philippines.鈥�
READ: Duterte tells Sereno: You have to be out of the Supreme Court
Congress is currently on a break and will resume its session on May 14.
The articles of impeachment against Sereno are currently pending before the House, as it awaits its deliberations and approval by the plenary.聽 聽 /kga /atm