Lagman: anti-Sereno justices should turn down CJ post nomination

Supreme Court. INQUIRER FILE

The Supreme Court (SC) justices who voted to oust Maria Lourdes Sereno should decline their respective nominations for the vacant post of Chief Justice, Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman said Tuesday.

Lagman, leader of an opposition bloc in the House, said the justices “must not profit from their controversial adverse decision against Sereno.”

The high court’s five most senior justices — Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Teresita De Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin and Mariano Del Castillo — were automatically nominated to the position of the chief justice by the Judicial and Bar Council. They were given until July 26 to formally accept their nomination.

However, Velasco may no longer qualify since he would reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Aug. 8. Carpio has announced that he will decline the nomination, saying he did not want to benefit from Sereno’s ouster through a quo warranto case, which he opposed.

READ: Search for next SC chief starts; 5 most senior justices automatically nominated for top post

Of the five, De Castro, Peralta, and Bersamin voted for the ouster of Sereno through a quo warranto petition.

READ: SC rejects Sereno ouster appeal

Lagman also said the justices who would be respondents in their forthcoming impeachment complaints for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust “consequent to their unconstitutional and biased verdict must be disqualified from nomination and/or appointment as Chief Justice.”

“The impeachment complaints are akin to pending administrative and/or criminal cases which bar appointment in the judiciary,” the opposition lawmaker added.

Lagman earlier vowed that if the eight justices who ousted Sereno “insist and persist on their unwarranted and unconstitutional decision,” their group would proceed with its “crusade” and file impeachment cases against each of them.

READ: ‘Magnificent 7’ to 8 SC justices: Recant quo warranto decision or face impeach raps

With the SC affirming Sereno’s ouster, the group said they would make good on their plan to file impeachment cases against Associate Justices De Castro, Peralta, Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Samuel Martires, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr. and Alexander Gesmundo.

READ: ‘Magnificent 7’ solons want to impeach ‘SC 8’ justices

Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin said they met with their lawyers Tuesday afternoon to finalize their complaints.

“Dapat mahiya naman sila! This time inhibiting themselves from applying for the Chief Justice post is common sense and basic decency,” Villarin said of De Castro, Peralta, and Bersamin. /cbb