LAWYER Lorenzo Gadon, who filed the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, said her removal from office freed the Supreme Court from the footprints of the Liberal Party.
He said Sereno was the reason the election protest of ex-senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had dragged on for a year.
“She served at the pleasure of the Aquinos. She [would] do anything to block any effort that would put the Aquinos in a bad light,” Gadon said.
“She served only at the pleasure of [former president Benigno] Aquino [III].”
The Office of Solicitor General also praised the high court decision against Sereno.
In a statement, Solicitor General Jose Calida said Sereno’s removal the maintained the stability and integrity of the Judiciary.
But Rep. Reynaldo Umali, chairman of the House committee on justice, said Friday Congress must wait for the final ruling on the quo warranto petition voiding the appointment of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno that was approved by the Supreme Court,
He said Sereno could still file a motion for reconsideration on the ruling, and Congress would only act on the impeachment complaint against her after the high court had rendered its final decision on the petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said the Supreme Court was supreme in many things, but its supremacy was not in everything.
He said the chief justice was an impeachable official who could only be removed after impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate.
“The reputation and esteem of this present Supreme Court will now rise or fall on the basis of the soundness or unsoundness of this controversial decision upholding a very unusual remedy to oust a sitting chief justice,” Pimentel said.
Umali said if, indeed, the 8-6 Supreme Court ruling granting the quo warranto petition against Sereno was final, then the impeachment complaint against her would be moot and academic.
“If the ruling is final and executory, it would mean that the impeachment complaint against the chief justice is now moot and academic,” Umali said.
He said they would wait for the official copy of the ruling to guide their course of action.
Right now, Umali said, the panel report on the impeachment complaint against Sereno that was transmitted to the House committee on rules for referral to the plenary would be discussed during the resumption of Congress sessions on May 15.
Rep. Johnny Pimentel, head of the House committee on good government, said the Supreme Court’s action set “a very dangerous precedent.”
“Any impeachable official is now fair game. I hope they will reconsider their position,” he said.
Rep. Albee Benitez said the quo warranto ruling “saves tax payers money by avoiding the process of impeachment by Congress, which could have resulted in the same way.”
Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said whatever the high court decision on the matter must be respected.With Rio N. Araja, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo
“The Supreme Court is always right even if it’s wrong,” he said.
Rep. Gus Tambunting said the decision on quo warranto “is definitely a landmark decision on the part of the Supreme Court.”
Rep. Tom Villarin said the high court decision was “an unparalleled subversion of our democracy.”
“It is a legal tsunami that flattened our justice system, and even the hallowed grounds of Padre Faura caved in,” Villarin said.
“We are living in a nightmare of judicial limbo as our Supreme Court has lost its integrity and independence.”