(L-R) Senators Bam Aquino, Sonny Angara, Kiko Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes
QUEZON CITY, Philippines – Members of the Senate reacted on the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno from her position as chief justice of the Supreme Court (SC.)
Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV called it “the darkest hour in our democracy” and accused the eight justices who favored the quo warranto petition against Sereno as “killing” the country’s justice system.
“The Supreme Court, which is supposed to be the cradle of our fragile Constitution, is the same body that killed it. Those SC justices who committed this heinous crime against our justice system must not and will not go unpunished,” he said.
Senator Bam Aquino, meanwhile, maintained that the SC ruling is not the rightful process to remove Sereno as it is the Senate, to convene as an impeachment court, is what the law requires. He added that the ruling would definitely have its repercussion on ordinary people in the future.
“Ano pa ang laban ng karaniwang Pilipino kung ang Chief Justice ay kayang tanggalin nang basta-basta at hindi batay sa tamang proseso?…Binalewala ang prosesong nakasaad sa Saligang Batas. Natanggalan ang publiko ng karapatang malaman ang totoo at suriin ang kaso. Tila ang may kapangyarihan na lang ang magdidikta ng hustisya. Talo na naman ang mga Pilipinong walang kalaban-laban,” he said.
For his part, Senator Kiko Pangilinan said the ruling was a show of “disrespect” to the Constitution. He insisted that the Court should have let the impeachment process proceeded as it is the Senate who has the authority to oust an impeachable official such as Sereno. He urged the public to voice out their displeasure with the ruling.
“Pambabastos sa Saligang Batas ang ginawa ng mayorya sa Supreme Court…Ang pagpapatalsik sa isang Chief Justice ay nasa kamay ng Senado, hindi ng korte. Dahil nangangamba sila na maaring wala silang sapat na boto sa Senado kaya nila pinuwersa ang bulok at basurang argumento…Dapat mag file ng motion for reconsideration. Dapat maipamalas ng taumbayan sa korte na mali ang pasya at hindi katanggap-tanggap,” Pangilinan said.
Meanwhile, Senator Sonny Angara, in a statement, said the results of the voting implied a “divided court on a very important constitutional issue.” This means, according to Angara, “the ruling may not be a stable one and may be subject to revision.”
Angara said that though he did not agree with the decision “because impeachment is the only constitutional route for removal of a CJ,” he said he “acknowledges that the Court has spoken.”
Nevertheless, he expressed hope that “wisdom and sobriety” would still prevail.
“The ripple effect of the decision may be felt in the coming months and years. I pray that wisdom and sobriety prevail in the future for the good of the country and our people,” he said.
On the other hand, Sereno’s accuser, Atty. Larry Gadon, said in a statement that the ruling “liberated the judiciary from the vestiges of the yellow cult,” referring to the color associated with the opposition’s Liberal Party.
In his victory statement, he dedicated “this win to the legacy of Chief Justice Renato Corona.” Gadon has been vocal of the reasons why he wanted Sereno out — to be made accountable those who benefited from what happened to Corona, one of which is Sereno.
Meanwhile, the petitioner Solicitor General Jose Calida, in a statement Friday, hailed the SC ruling as the “epitome of its exercise of judicial independence.” He thanked the magistrates for upholding the Constitution in its decision.
“The Supreme Court decision ousting Maria Lourdes Sereno augurs well for the country as it preserves the stability and integrity of the Judiciary. This decision is the epitome of its exercise of judicial independence…I would like to extend my appreciation to the learned magistrates of the Supreme Court for once again upholding the primacy of the Constitution,” Calida concluded. — Marje Pelayo | UNTV News & Rescue
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