Embattled Chief Justice moves vs Martires

Embattled Chief Justce Maria Lourdes Sereno gestures during forum aboout ‘Speak Truth to Power’ at University Hotel in University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. Sereno call for Senate to start the impeachment case against her. INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

Ahead of the anticipated Supreme Court decision next week, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has asked a sixth colleague to inhibit himself from deciding the “quo warranto” case that could result in her ouster.

In a petition she filed on Friday, Sereno claimed that Associate Justice Samuel Martires showed his bias during the April 10 open court arguments where he insinuated that her religious belief was a sign of mental illness.

“It appears that Justice Martires has formed an opinion on the competence of [Sereno] to serve as Chief Justice on some basis other than what he learned from his participation in this case. His objectivity and impartiality therefore appears to have been impaired,” said Sereno, who was forced to go on leave by her colleagues on the high court on March 1.

Earlier five

Solicitor General Jose Calida filed the quo warranto petition asking the 14 remaining Supreme Court justices to invalidate Sereno’s appointment in 2012 for her supposed failure to submit all the required statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Sereno had earlier asked five justices to inhibit themselves from the case: Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza and Noel Tijam.

The five justices had testified against Sereno during the hearings of the House committee on justice, which subsequently voted to recommend her impeachment to the plenary.

On recess until May 15, the House of Representatives as a whole has yet to vote on whether to impeach Sereno.

The Supreme Court, however, may vote—before the House plenary decides to impeach her—for Sereno’s removal from office.

News reports quoting unidentified  sources in the high court said the justices planned to hold a special full-court session on May 11 to decide on Calida’s quo warranto petition.

Critics of the petition said the Solicitor General’s petition circumvented the Constitution, which provides that the Chief Justice can only be removed from office by a majority vote of senators after an impeachment trial.