(Eagle News) – Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon said that it is possible that the Senate would no longer proceed with the impeachment trial of controversial Supreme Court Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. This is if the tribunal decides to take on the quo warranto case against her.
“In my view, it is entirely possible that the impeachment court becomes academic, because if the Supreme Court takes the position that they can entertain the quo warranto and proceeds to take action on the Chief Justice, then the House may recognize that decision, and not send the articles of impeachment to the Senate, and, therefore there is no impeachment trial,” Drilon explained to reporters.
“That’s a possibility, especially sinabi ni Speaker Alvarez and Majority leader Farinas na hihintayin nila ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema,” he said.
Drilon, a former Senate president who also served as justice secretary before, said that once the Supreme Court decides that it has jurisdiction to take on the quo warranto case, then there would be no more impeachment court.
-Resignation, a personal decision-
Just the same, the senator pointed out that at this time, that nobody can force Sereno to resign if she doesn’t want to.
“It’s her (Sereno’s) decision. To me, we are ready to receive the articles of impeachment and proceed with the impeachment trial,” Drilon said.
“But the matter of resigning is a personal decision of the Chief Justice, so leave it at that. No one can force her to resign,” he added.
Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel said that the Senate is busily preparing for the impeachment trial of Sereno, who is on indefinite leave since March 1.
He said that the calls for Sereno to resign would be up to the controversial chief magistrate to decide.
“Siya pa rin ang makakapag-decide. (She [Sereno] would be the person to decide this) So hands-off ako dyan. Senate ang inaalagaan ko,” Pimentel told reporters in an interview.
-Pimentel: Senate should be ready for impeachment trial-
But he said that the senate should be ready in case the articles of impeachment are transmitted by the House of Representatives, even if there is always the possibility that the impeachment trial would not proceed anymore if the Supreme Court decides to take on the quo warranto case against Sereno.
“The Senate should be ready to try and decide the case,” Pimentel said.
On Wednesday, March 14, the House Committee on Justice is set to meet again to tackle the articles of impeachment against Sereno as well as the committee report on the earlier decision that there is probable cause to impeach her as Chief Justice.
Once the articles of impeachment are finalized, these will be sent to the House of Representatives’ plenary for deliberation and voting.
But House Majority Floor Leader Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Farinas said that it was more likely that the matter of Sereno’s impeachment will still be tabled with the plenary on May 14 when Congress resumes its session. Congress will be adjourning on March 24.
Both Farinas and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said that it was most likely that the Supreme Court would also be issuing its ruling soon on the pending quo warranto petition against Sereno that had been filed by the Office of the Solicitor General.
The OSG’s petition asked the high court on March 5 to invalidate the 2012 appointment of Sereno as Chief Justice, and to “oust” her from office saying that she was not eligible to be appointed to the position in the first place because of her alleged failure to file the required number of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, specifically her SALNs when she was still serving as professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law.
A day after the filing of the quo warranto petition, the Supreme Court on March 6, asked Sereno to submit her comment on the petition within 10 days from receipt of notice.
The SC, however, noted that this directive does not mean the court was giving due course to the petition.
(with video reports from Meanne Corvera, Eagle News Service)
