SC orders Calida to comment on Sereno appeal of quo warranto ruling

MANILA, Philippines — The high tribunal has ordered Solicitor General Jose Calida to comment on the appeal of Maria Lourdes Sereno on the ruling on the quo warranto petition that invalidated her appointment as chief justice.

The SC, sitting as full court on Tuesday, gave Calida a non-extendible period of five days to file his comment on Sereno’s motion for reconsideration.

On May 11, the SC voted 8-6 to grant Calida’s petition that sought the nullification of Sereno’s appointment to the high court.

"Respondent [Sereno] is found disqualified from and is hereby adjudged guilty of unlawfully holding and exercising the Office of the Chief Justice. Accordingly, Sereno is ousted and excluded therefrom," the SC historic ruling, penned by Associate Justice Noel Tijam, reads.

Sereno sought the reversal of the ruling on May 30. She filed a 205-page motion for reconsideration, where she also stressed on the “far-reaching consequences” of decision.

She also insisted that the high court has no authority to remove her since the 1987 Constitution holds that impeachment is the way to remove impeachable officials like the chief justice.

Sens. Leila De Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV echoed Sereno’s argument and filed their own motion for reconsideration on the case onJune 1.

De Lima and Trillanes earlier filed an Opposition-in-Intervention, with a prayer to dismiss Calida’s quo warranto petition. But the SC denied their appeal.

The camp of Sereno, meanwhile, said that they are “encouraged” by the court’s action on their motion for reconsideration.                     

In a statement, lawyer Jojo Lacanilao, spokesperson of Sereno, urged the justice to “set aside personal animosity and rule only according to what is right.”

He stressed: “Unless reconsidered, that decision will wreak havoc on the basic premise of judicial decisions, which is fair play in an impartial tribunal, consistency with judicial precedents and as important, the preservation of the constitutional checks and balance.”

Lacanilao also reminded the court that the constitution demands respect for the Senate’s power to remove impeachable officials.