Trillanes: Senate must assert power to hold Sereno impeach trial
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is considering routing a resolution among his colleagues in the Senate to assert its power to decide on the fate of embattled Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
The resolution, he said, would express the sense of the Senate that the chamber, and not the judiciary or the executive, has the power to conduct the impeachment trial against Sereno.
“Trabaho ng Senado ang mag conduct ng impeachment trial at hindi yan sakop sa trabaho ng hudikatura at ng executive branch,” Trillanes said in a press conference in the Senate with former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay on Thursday.
“So essentially, itong nangyayaring ito, this is a judicial overreach and an executive overreach as well dahil Solgen ang nag file ng petition,” he added.
The senator was referring to the quo warranto petition filed at the SC by Solicitor General Jose Calida against Sereno.
Asked if he was doing it to protect Sereno, Trillanes said: “No, definitely not.” In fact, he said, he could not even remember if he had ever met the Chief Justice.
“This is not about the personalities , this is about the institutions,” he said.
The senator said he hopes his colleagues in the Senate, including those belonging to the majority bloc, would sign the resolution
“I certainly hope so for our sake. Otherwise kung hindi nila nakikita yung tama nito sa ating lipunan then malaki talaga ang problema ng Pilipinas,” he said.
Aside from an intervention, Trillanes and detained Senator Leila de Lima also filed a manifestation at the SC this Thursday against the quo warranto proceedings.
“Itong manifestation na ito ang intention nito ay primarily i-remind yung mga mahistrado ng Korte Suprema na yung quo warranto proceedings nila ay illegal at unconstitutional at ito ay magdi-diminish ng power Senado,” Trillanes said.
He urged the justices to “take a second look, reflect, and set aside personal animosities” for the sake of the institution.
Hilbay echoed the senator’s appeal.
“Tulad na nga ng appeal ni Sen. Trillanes, we are asking for the Supreme Court to take a second look at the way the proceedings have been conducted,” the former SolGen said in the same press con, noting the “hostile environment” when the justices conducted oral arguments on the quo warranto petition.
“Baka naka cloud na yung judgment noong mahistrado natin and therefore, kailangang i-remind kahit papaano,” Hilbay said. /muf
