Pimentel: SC should review Sereno ouster decision

The Supreme Court (SC) should review its decision to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and give her the opportunity to file a motion for reconsideration (MR), Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Friday as he rallied everyone to “uphold the rule of law.”

“Let us all uphold the RULE OF LAW. The people must be given time to review this decision. And the Supreme Court itself must also take the time to review its own decision. If the Supreme Court is not supreme in everything then it is also not infallible in everything,” Pimentel said in a statement.

“The respondent Chief Justice must be given the opportunity to file a Motion for Reconsideration. God bless our beloved country,” he added.

Pimentel, a staunch ally of the Duterte administration, issued the remark hours after the High Court, voting 8-6, granted the quo warranto petition that sought to remove Sereno from office.

The petition was filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida – the principal lawyer of the government – who questioned the qualification of Sereno as the country’s top magistrate.

READ: Justices remove Sereno from SC

With the decision of the magistrates against Sereno, the Senate leader reminded that the SC is not supreme in everything, as he underscored that the chief justice can only be removed after an impeachment by Congress.

“The Supreme Court is supreme in a lot of things but not in everything. In impeachment matters the Supreme Court is not supreme, because the Senate is the one and only impeachment court,” he said.

“The Chief Justice is an impeachable official who can be removed only after impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate,” he added.

“The reputation and esteem of this present Supreme Court will now rise or fall on the basis of the soundness or unsoundness of this controversial decision upholding a very unusual remedy to oust a sitting Chief Justice,” he continued.    /muf