Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LYN RILLON
A lawmaker warned on Monday that the quo warranto petition, which seeks to nullify Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s appointment, may “emasculate” the power of Congress to unseat impeachable officials.
Quo warranto petition is initiated to remove an official believed to be unfit or unqualified for his or her petition.
Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe said with the filing of the quo warranto petition, the Supreme Court could “stretch” its interpretation in determining the validity of Sereno’s appointment by including the submission of statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) set by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), which approved her appointment.
The quo warranto petition, he said, may “open the floodgates” to other quo warranto cases against impeachable officials, thereby “emasculating” the power of Congress to impeach officials.
“Ang Korte Suprema, they can stretch the interpretation so as to include all the other requirements. But as I said, this will open the floodgates to other quo warranto proceedings against impeachable officers thereby emasculating the power of Congress to impeach officials who are expressly stated in the Constitution to be impeachable,” he said in a House forum.
Solicitor General Jose Calida earlier asked the Supreme Court (SC) to nullify Sereno’s appointment after she allegedly failed to completely disclose her SALN to the JBC.
READ: Solgen Calida questions Sereno’s qualifications before SC
Apart from the quo warranto case, Sereno is also facing an impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives justice committee, which is set to vote on its probable cause on Thursday. She is currently on leave to prepare for her impending impeachment trial. /je