Sereno ups attack vs quo warranto at lawyers’ forum
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Wednesday called on lawyers to stand up against “the gathering of dark clouds and of evil foreboding” that will destroy the entire judiciary.
Speaking before members of the Philippine Bar Association (PBA), the oldest voluntary national organization of lawyers in the Philippines, Sereno warned of the evil that a quo warranto against a sitting justice would bring if granted.
A quo warranto is an action that is brought against a government official who is not qualified for his or her position.
However, Sereno is one of the few public servants who can only be removed by impeachment as enumerated under the Constitution.
During Tuesday’s oral argument, Sereno’s lawyer, Atty. Alex Poblador, warned that the quo warranto, if granted will create a dangerous precedent and can be used against any sitting justices.
Threat to judicial independence
“If they can do this to the chief justice, they can do this to any of you, to your clients,” Sereno said in her speech at the PBA.
“If they succeed to remove an impeachable officer nearly six years after her appointment, then any judge in this land and any sitting justice in the highest court will no longer be independent,” she said.
She explained that any case against the government will end up in a settlement because of the “sword of Damocles over the entire judiciary.”
“There cannot be a dissenting justice anymore in the Supreme Court where we are hoping that dissents would be the seeds of future reversals so that jurisprudence can be improved,” Sereno said.
“Even your very livelihoods are threatened; there is no safety for any of you…That is how deadly this quo warranto petition is,” she added.
Sereno said if the Supreme Court would cooperate in the move of the Executive to oust her sans impeachment trial, “I will use directly the words of Chief Justice Davide that it will be judicial hara-kiri, if not a judicial kamikaze bringing it the destruction of the entire judiciary as well as the entire constitutional framework.”
She told lawyers that they cannot keep silent on attempts to destroy the judiciary.
“Are we afraid that we will be called names? Are we afraid that some of our clients might find themselves under harassment as well? This is not the time to keep your silence. What are you trying to preserve? Do you think that silence will improve the situation,” she asked.
“Do you think that by not speaking when you see evil inflicted in your country, you will be safe? When the gathering clouds are dark and of evil foreboding, there is such gloom that affects the entire country. Even in your air-conditioned room, it will reach you. So, where is your future,” she warned.
“Our future lies in our courage…we cannot afford to keep quiet now,” she said./ac
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