Critics urge Sereno to resign ahead of ouster case decision

Photo by KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING

It’s red versus purple on Friday morning as both supporters and critics of embattled Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno converged on Padre Faura Street in Manila, hours before the Supreme Court special en banc session opened to tackle the quo warranto petition to oust the country’s top magistrate began.

But while her purple-wearing supporters, mostly evangelicals and members of religious groups, prayed that she survives the ouster attempts, her red-clad critics called on the Chief Justice to merely resign ahead of the decision on the quo warranto case.

“Maybe even at this late hour, the Chief Justice would see the wisdom in resigning her position rather than subject the country to this spectacle of divisiveness,” said lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.

Topacio, a staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, led dozens of oust-Sereno supporters, mostly from Citizens Crime Watch group, who gathered in front of the SC main building.

A far cry from the solemn prayer vigil led by pro-Sereno’s Coalition For Justice (C4J), the ouster group mock-chanted, “Yes yes yo, Quo Warranto! No no no, Sereno!”

But when asked by the Inquirer why they supported the quo warranto petition and why they decided to call for Sereno’s ouster, most simply said they “supported what is right.”

“I think there wouldn’t be such a movement if (Sereno) did not lapse in fulfilling her mandate,” said CCW-NCR head Mercy Madeloso, though she did not specify how the Chief Justice failed in her duties.

“For us, Sereno did not meet the standards of integrity to continue to hold power in office by not submitting her SALNs,” Topacio said. “It’s a clear lapse in her mandate. All arguments against the constitutionality of the quo warranto is considered moot since the SC has already decided it had jurisdiction when it decided to hear the petition. The only thing left now is if they approve it.”/kga