(Eagle News) — “The breath of fresh air in the judiciary.”
This was how Senator Leila de Lima described Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio after he decided to skip the House committee on justice’s hearing on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
“The most to have a gripe as the most senior Justice to be bypassed for the Chief Justice position, he now exemplifies dignity and circumspection among the justices for refusing to be dragged into the highly politicized impeachment proceedings against (Sereno),” De Lima, who is detained in Camp Crame over drug-related charges, said in a handwritten statement.
She said because of his move, “Justice Carpio has managed to preserve whatever integrity and honor is left in the High Court.”
“He now symbolizes both the independence and forthrightness of a Court under siege from the House and Malacañang,” she said.
“In a time where self-preservation and self-interest dominate the political scene of kowtowing to Malacañang, there are men and women who refuse to be so beguiled by power and protection, but instead stand up for and defend their institutions from the assault of tyranny. They will all be remembered when this is all over, the few and brave souls who dared to stand up against the impunity of the House and the regime it serves,” she added.
Associate Justices Teresita de Castro, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam and former justice Arturo Brion have testified before the House justice panel that is holding hearings to determine whether there is probable cause for the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Larry Gadon.