I am very much dismayed with the final decision issued by the Supreme Court over the Quo Warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno.
When the SC en banc released its first decision last May 11 granting the petition by eight justices, it instructed the Chief Justice to submit her motion for reconsideration to the court.
However, the Court sticked to its earlier ruling to unseat Sereno declaring her appointment null and void as Chief Justice in 2012 by failing to submit her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Networth (SALN) to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) when she applied to the position thus questioning her integrity being a constitutional requirement to be a justice.
The remaining six justices also didn't changed their decision as reflected on their opinions to remove the Chief Justice to her post - as impeachment is the only way to oust her being an impeachable officer as stated in the Constitution. It has also seen as a precedent for them to be easily removed into office by simply filing a quo warranto petition to the Court and skipping the impeachment process.
This has been the first time in Philippine history that a sitting justice has been removed by a quo warranto petition and not by means of impeachment as what happened to Sereno's former Chief Justice, Renato Corona over her unexplained wealth which was not stated in his SALN.
The court, being the highest judicial body in the land, has been the beacon of hope to the Filipino people since its establishment. With this decision, the judicial independence has been destroyed and the body itself has been penetrated by political agenda. The Court has already been compromised.
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