(Eagle News)—–Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima renewed their call for the Supreme Court to refrain from entertaining the quo warranto petition against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, saying it was “treading on dangerous ground.”
“Kapag nilabag ng judiciary ang eksklusibong kapangyarihan ng Kongreso na magtanggal sa pwesto ng mga impeachable officers, lalampas na po kayo sa boundary ng kapangyarihan ninyo, at nag-tre-trespass na po kayo sa teritoryo ng lehislatura,” Trillanes and De Lima said in a joint statement issued as the Supreme Court prepares to vote on the petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General seeking to have Sereno’s appointment as Chief Justice nullified, on May 11.
According to the two, “to prevent and pre-empt Congress from exercising its powers of impeachment is one of the worst, if not the worst, act of betrayal that a Supreme Court can commit.”
Entertaining the petition, after all, they said, was tantamount to “signing its name on the death warrant of our democracy.”
“Today, we are vehemently protesting any attempt to hastily resolve the petition before the resumption of the session of Congress and before the latter has had the opportunity to transmit the articles of impeachment and, thereafter, conduct further action in accordance with the Constitution, including, if deemed warranted, the conduct of an impeachment trial,” they said.
“We refuse to watch silently while the Office of the Solicitor General bids the Supreme Court to sound the death knell of our democracy,” they added.
Sereno is also facing an impeachment complaint in Congress, which will resume session on May 15.
The complaint filed by lawyer Larry Gadon stems from Sereno’s alleged betrayal of public trust, commission of high crimes, corruption and culpable violation of the Constitution when she supposedly failed to submit her complete Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, purchased an “overpriced” Land Cruiser, among others.
Sereno has denied the allegations.
