Thirteen senators have signed a draft resolution urging the Supreme Court to review its decision nullifying the appointment of Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice.
The opposition senators who signed the draft resolution were Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, Francis Pangilinan and Leila de Lima.
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Senators Francis Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, Grace Poe, Juan Edgardo Angara, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Senator Joel Villanueva also signed the draft.
“Our fundamental law provides a singular route to remove certain public officials: Impeachment,” Villanueva said in a statement.
According to Trillanes, the SC justices who voted to grant the quo warranto petition filed against Sereno only created a “big mess.”
“With this decision, na void from the start ang appointment ni CJ Sereno, meaning her stint as CJ did not happen, so papaano ang naging desisyon niya? Counted ba yun o hindi? So babalikan natin ang lahat ng desisyon simula 2012 yung mga naging directive niya sa SC? Ano yun? Iinvalidate ba natin o tatanggapin? Ewan ko, hindi nag-isip,” Trillanes said in an ambush interview.
Voting 8-6, the SC en banc granted the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida, who argued Sereno’s appointment as Chief Justice in 2012 should be nullified because of questions of integrity.
The SC also made a distinction between quo warranto proceedings, which it said were judicial in nature, and impeachment proceedings, which it said were political in nature.
The SC ruled such proceedings could proceed “independently and simultaneously.”
Sereno is facing an impeachment case in Congress.
House justice panel chair Rep. Rey Umali has said, however, that he would move for a halt in the impeachment proceedings to avoid a “constitutional crisis.”
He said the “crisis” could stem from the conflicting views between the High Court, which sees the chief magistrate post as vacant, and the Senate, which would see the post as filled if it proceeds with an impeachment trial. Meanne Corvera