Duterte denies involvement in Sereno’s impeachment

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech following the oath-taking ceremony of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Officials at the Malacañan Palace on March 6, 2018. KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Reiterating what he had said before, President Rodrigo Duterte denied on Tuesday that he was behind the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, saying that he would not interfere in the affairs of the co-equal branch of government.

“You can ask anybody — I never initiated ‘to si Sereno,” Duterte said in a speech during the oath-taking of Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).

“I just called her attention because of the so many cases pending tapos pa-iba ang decision niya. ‘Yung the very complaint now of the Justices. ‘Yun man ‘yon. O kita mo, ‘di lumabas rin (And her decisions were inconsistent. That is now the very complaint of the Justices. That’s it. You see, it was revealed),” he added.

The President said that he would let the House Justice Committee to decide on whether there are enough grounds to file impeachment complaint against the country’s top magistrate before the Senate begin its impeachment proceedings.

“Congress, well, you be the judge. Hindi ako pwede. Executive department ako. Co-equal kami so hindi ako pwedeng mag-ano. Executive department lang ako (I cannot because I’m in the Executive department. We are co-equal that is why I cannot decide on the matter. I am only in the Executive department),” Duterte continued.

The embattled Chief Justice took a leave of absence to gear up for her defense in the Senate trial. She faces an impeachment complaint in Congress for allegedly failing to submit her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

On Monday, March 5, the Office of Solicitor General (OSG) filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) which seeks to nullify the appointment of Sereno.

This decision came after suspended lawyer Eligio Mallari, who called Sereno a “de facto chief justice,” urged Solicitor General Jose Calida to initiate a quo warranto proceeding against the top magistrate.

In the 34-page petition, Calida said that the quo warranto petition is the proper remedy to question the validity of Sereno’s appointment, noting that the Chief Justice is “unlawfully holding” her position due to her alleged misdeclared wealth.

However, the move of the Solicitor General to oust Sereno was “unprecedented,” according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

“Well, let’s just say, this is unprecedented,” Roque said on Monday.

“While the normal rule is that impeachable officers can only be removed through impeachment, the petitioners who, I believe, are fully cognizant of this doctrine, probably feel that under the circumstance, the general rule should not be applicable. So, let’s wait for the decision of the Supreme Court,” he added.

The President’s spokesperson even said that Duterte deferred the quo warranto petition to the decision of the high tribunal.