By Charissa M. Luci
Lawmakers were piqued yesterday by the refusal of Supreme Court Clerk of Court Felipa Anama to divulge the member-in-charge and the ponente on the Department of Justice request to transfer the cases against key figures of the Maute Group from Cagayan de Oro City to Taguig City.
During the sixth hearing of the House Committee on Justice on the determination of probable cause in the impeachment case against Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes P.A. Sereno, Anama insisted that she cannot divulge such details and submit confidential documents on raffle of cases, citing the internal rules of the High Court, particularly Rule 7, Section 3.
“Hindi po namin puwedeng sabihin ‘yung ponente kasi po confidential,” Anama told the panel.
She argued that the person it was raffled to can only be revealed once the case has been resolved.
Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, panel chairman, asked Anama if the matter has been resolved, to which she answered affirmatively.
“Then why can you not reveal who the case went to? What is there to keep confidential if it has already been resolved?” he said.