Senators mixed over Sereno’s removal

FILE: The Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to remove its own chief, Maria Lourdes Sereno, drew mixed reactions from the members of the Congress on Friday, May 11. (PNA photo)

The Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to remove its own chief, Maria Lourdes Sereno, drew mixed reactions from the members of the Senate on Friday, May 11.

Calling the high court’s move “a direct stab” to the heart of the Constitution, Senator Risa Hontiveros said, “This is a black day for justice and the rule of law. The Supreme Court has fallen, and fallen hard in the eyes of the public.”

Hontiveros said that by approving an unconstitutional petition, the high tribunal surrendered its judicial independence and integrity to the “whims of President [Rodrigo] Duterte, and subverted altogether our constitutional process of impeachment.”

“The Constitution is clear. The best way to hold accountable and remove impeachable high-ranking government officials is through the process of impeachment in which the Senate is convened as an impeachment court,” Hontiveros stressed.

“With this decision, the Senate is robbed of that power and denied the obligation to fulfill its constitutional duty. There is a clear attempt to relegate the Senate to the political sidelines,” she added.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch critic of the President, called the ruling the “darkest hour” in the country’s democracy.

“The Supreme Court, which is supposed to be the cradle of our fragile Constitution, is the same body that killed it,” he said.

Those justices, Trillanes said, must not and will not go unpunished as they committed a “heinous crime” against that the Philippine’s justice system.

Senator Francis Pangilinan also said that these SC justices “disrespected” the Constitution.

“Pambabastos sa Saligang Batas ang ginawa ng mayorya sa Supreme Court…. Dapat mag file ng motion for reconsideration. Dapat maipamalas ng taumbayan sa korte na mali ang pasya at hindi katanggap-tanggap (The Supreme Court majority disrespected the Constitution. A motion for reconsideration should be filed. The public should show the court that its decision is wrong and unacceptable),” Pangilinan stressed.

“Nangangamba sila na maaring wala silang sapat na boto sa Senado kaya nila pinwersa ang bulok at basurang argumento (They feared that they may not have enough votes in the Senate so they forced their rotten and garbage argument),” he added.

Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, for his part, said the ruling of the high tribunal is a loss for Filipinos.

“Talo na naman ang taumbayan. Ano pa ang laban ng karaniwang Pilipino kung ang Chief Justice ay kayang tanggalin nang basta-basta at hindi batay sa tamang proseso (The people has lost again. If the Chief Justice can be ousted without undergoing correct process, what more when it comes to ordinary Filipinos)?” Aquino asked.

He maintained that the correct process is a trial before the upper house, convened as an impeachment court.

“Binalewala ang prosesong nakasaad sa Saligang Batas. Natanggalan ang publiko ng karapatang malaman ang totoo at suriin ang kaso (They disregarded the process provided in the Constitution. The public had been denied the right to know the truth and scrutinize the case),” Aquino said.

“Tila ang may kapangyarihan na lang ang magdidikta ng hustisya. Talo na naman ang mga Pilipinong walang kalaban-laban (It seems that those who have power are the only ones who will dictate justice. The defenseless Filipinos have lost again),” he added.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson said the “biggest winners” in the ruling were the “incompetent lawyers” who would have been prepared to show off their “stupidity” at the impeachment trial, which will no longer push through as the House would not definitely send the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.

While most of the senators express displeasure with the decision, Senator Vicente Sotto III said everyone should respect the tribunal’s decision as it is “the highest interpreter” of the Constitution.

“We respect its decision. To do otherwise is to make our personal opinion higher than what we regard as supreme,” he noted.

The SC, voting 8-6 in a special en banc session, granted the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against Sereno on March 5, which seeks to invalidate her appointment as chief justice in 2012.