(Eagle News) — For Solicitor General Jose Calida, the impeachment complaints filed against the seven associate justices who voted for the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice “will not see the light of day.”
According to Calida, if the “logic” of the lawmakers who filed the complaints against Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr., and Alexander Gesmundo is to be followed, “then all Justices, whose constitutional interpretation differ from them, can be impeached.”
He said the seven justices were “only merely performing their constitutional duty” when they acted on the quo warranto petition filed by Calida against Sereno.
“Worst, following also this logic, justices who dissented from the majority view in constitutional cases, can also be impeached. This will reduce impeachment to a mere vengeance mechanism, far from which it is intended for,” Calida said.
When the “judiciary mediates to allocate constitutional boundaries, it does not assert any superiority over the other departments,” Calida said, quoting a 1936 Supreme Court decision.
According to Calida, those who filed the complaints should “by now, come to terms with” the SC decision.
“By constitutional design, this is how our government should work,” he said.
In filing the impeachment complaints, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat and Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin said the seven justices committed betrayal of public trust when they voted to oust Sereno.
Lagman said Samuel Martires was not charged as he was no longer a member of the SC after being appointed the new Ombudsman.