Leni, Noy denounce ‘sour fruit we’re forced

to swallow’
Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday called on Filipinos to remain vigilant as the country was
“plunged into the depths of uncertainty” with the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

In a statement, Robredo assailed the Supreme Court vote to remove Sereno by way of a quo
warranto petition as “a blatant betrayal of the sacredness of the Constitution.”

She added: “True power will always be with the people. I ask the Filipino people to join me in
utmost vigilance as the rest of these developments unfold, and to add their voice as we defend
our judicial system, our Constitution and ultimately, our democracy.”

Former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III also slammed the Supreme Court ruling and
said the decision was apparently tailor-fit to push the single objective of taking Sereno out of
office.

Fruit metaphor

In a statement written in Filipino, the former President used the metaphor of a fruit harvested
before its time to describe the sour taste that was left by the high court ruling.

He assailed the justices for choosing to misinterpret the law which, Mr. Aquino maintained, has
been very clear in stating that impeachable officials may be removed from office only through
the impeachment process.

“Just how sour is this decision that they’re forcing us to swallow?” Mr. Aquino said.

Aquino appointed Sereno Chief Justice in 2012, saying that he believed her legal skills and what
would have been her long service in the high court—20 years—would pave the way for lasting
judicial reform.

Dangerous precedent

Robredo described the ruling as setting “a very dangerous precedent that may seriously
undermine the independence of the judiciary,” and urged people to “raise their voice” against it
“to right the wrong” that removed Sereno as Chief Justice, “particularly given how close the vote
was for a decision of such magnitude.”

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The Supreme Court justices on Friday voted 8-6 favoring the quo warranto petition that removed
Sereno from her post.

‘Fight not yet over’

“As the second highest official in the land, let me assure you: The fight is not yet over,” Robredo
said.

“At this point, we should not lose hope as there are still legal remedies available. We are
disappointed, but we will not stop,” the Vice President said, adding she was also concerned over
the coming Supreme Court ruling on her electoral protest against losing vice presidential
candidate Bongbong Marcos.

Palace men: Let’s bow to majesty of the law

Malacañang urged the public to respect the Supreme Court decision ousting Chief Justice Maria
Lourdes Sereno, and said the high court was duty-bound to uphold the 1987 Constitution as a
coequal branch of government.

“Let us respect the granting of the quo warranto petition as the proper remedy (in the) ruling
against Sereno,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Malacañang issued the statement three hours after the Supreme Court, in an unprecedented move,
voted 8-6 to oust Sereno on Friday by granting the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose
Calida that questioned Sereno’s qualifications for the post.

“The court ruling is likewise an assertion of the supremacy of the fundamental law of the land,”
Roque said.

“The Supreme Court has spoken. We all must bow to the majesty of the law,” said chief
presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo in a separate statement, adding that we must abide by
the ruling “regardless of our disagreement with it.”

“That is how democracy works,” he added.

Panelo said court decisions could not be based on emotions nor biases, and that the high court
was only performing its duty of interpreting the Constitution’s provisions.

“Dura lex sed lex: the law may be harsh, but it is the law,” he added.

‘Epitome of independence’
The high court decision to depose Sereno “augurs well for the country,” said Calida, who
expressed his gratitude to the justices “for once again upholding the primacy of the
Constitution.”

“This decision is the epitome of (the Supreme Court’s) exercise of judicial independence,” the
solicitor general said in a statement.

“Despite the raucous voices of those pretending to champion the Constitution, the magistrates
stayed true to their oath and faithfully adhered to the rule of law,” he added.

Calida, who has been on leave after rumors of his supposed affair with his young executive
assistant went viral on social media, also urged the public to resist “those intending to undermine
the stability and integrity, not only of the judiciary, but also of the government as a whole.”

‘Darkest hour in PH democracy’: Senators

slam SC ruling vs Sereno
Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Friday invoked the Senate’s exclusive right to
try an impeachable official as he called on the Supreme Court to give ousted Chief Justice Maria
Lourdes Sereno “the opportunity to file a motion for reconsideration.”

“In impeachment matters, the Supreme Court is not supreme because the Senate is the one and
only impeachment court,” Pimentel said in a message to reporters.

Senators from both sides of the political fence on Friday voiced their disagreement over the
Supreme Court ruling, but none of the Senate leaders have so far indicated that they would
formally contest it, saying that the decision had “mooted” the pending impeachment case against
Sereno at the House of Representatives.

“This is not the end of this fight,” Sen. Francis Pangilinan, president of the opposition Liberal
Party, said. “Congress must assert its duty and obligation under the Constitution stating that
impeachment is the only way to remove a Chief Justice,” he added.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV described the high court ruling as “the darkest hour in our democracy.
The Supreme Court, which is supposed to be the cradle of our fragile Constitution, is the same
body that killed it.”

‘People lost without a fight’

Sen. Bam Aquino lamented that “(the SC justices had) removed from the public the right to
know the truth and examine the case… Again, the people have lost without a fight,” he said.
“This is a black day for justice and the rule of law,” said Sen. Risa Hontiveros. “By giving its
nod to an obviously unconstitutional petition, the high tribunal has surrendered its judicial
independence and integrity,” the senator said, adding that the court’s ruling was “a slap on the
face of the Senate” and “a direct stab to the heart of our Constitution.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the ruling was a “bad precedent… (that) in
effect reduced the powers of both houses of Congress.”

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, a member of the majority coalition, said the Supreme Court had
“subvert(ed) the paramount tradition of separation of powers that lies at the very heart of our
republican system of government.”

Vote shows ‘divided court’

Administration ally Sen. Sonny Angara suggested that the narrow 8-6 vote on the quo warranto
petition could still be subject to change as “it shows a divided court on a very important
constitutional issue. This means the ruling may not be a stable one and may be subject to revision
going forward.”

The “biggest winners” in the ruling, said Sen. Panfilo Lacson, “are the moronic lawyers who
were ready to spread their idiocy in an impeachment trial, which will no longer take place
because it’s unlikely that the House will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate.”

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said the Senate had no choice but to respect the
Supreme Court decision. “To do otherwise is to make our personal opinion higher than what we
regard as supreme,” he said.

At the House of Representatives, members of the opposition slammed the high court ruling, with
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman saying that a “majority (of the SC) justices committed hara kiri” when
it “bludgeon(ed) the independence of the judiciary and desecrat(ed) the sanctity of the
Constitution in an improvident quo warranto proceeding.”

Akbayan Rep. Tomasito Villarin described the decision as “a legal tsunami that flattened our
justice system.”

Losing faith in SC

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said the ruling “destroyed the faith of the people in the Supreme
Court and the Constitution.” The justices, he said, had become “instruments for political
maneuverings.”

Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said it was “disheartening” that the Supreme Court majority
“played politics (and were) now part of the political circus.”

Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said the decision “will produce a deep crack,” adding that the
ruling was “a self-destructing act.”
Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas described Sereno’s ouster as “the most brazen rape of the judicial
branch by a self-confessed tyrant in Philippine history.”

Larry Gadon, the lawyer who filed the controversial impeachment complaint against Sereno,
meanwhile, expressed elation at the high court ruling.

“My efforts were not wasted. In fact, it took a shortcut and was sped up. The results are the
same,” Gadon said.

Justices turned ‘minions’

In Bacolod City, Bishop Patricio Buzon called on the faithful to join him in praying the rosary on
Friday night “for the upholding and preservation of justice in our country,” he said in a text
message, adding that the justices had “allowed themselves to become ready minions of an
administration that cannot tolerate any opposition… that stands in the way of its pursuit of
absolute power and control.”

Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) president Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo and Arnel Lapore,
president of IBP-Negros Occidental, also maintained that “only the Senate assembled as an
impeachment court has the power to dismiss an incumbent justice of the Supreme Court on
questions pertaining to his or her alleged lack of integrity.”

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) meanwhile urged judges and lawyers to “step
up the protests against the breakdown of the so-called rule of law and the erosion of judicial
independence in all legitimate forms and fora possible.”

In a text message, Coco Alcuaz, executive director of Makati Business Club, conceded that
although an impeachment process would have at least sustained investor confidence, the
Supreme Court remained the “final arbiter of all constitutional issues.”

‘We need just a spark’

In Baguio City, the Youth Act Now Against Tyranny (Yanat) scheduled an indignation rally on
Friday night.

Students and teachers at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) also planned to
hold a protest rally on Friday. “(President) Duterte now has control over the three branches of the
government,” said Casey Cruz, a representative for the group Unbound.

Sister Mary John Mananzan, cochair of the Office of Women and Gender Concerns of the
Association of Major Religious Superiors, described the ruling as “a blatant insult to us citizens
(and) a fight between good and evil.”
Mananzan added: “Now is the test. If we no longer trust the executive, the legislative and the
judiciary, we are the (only) ones left. We will be like an atomic bomb, we will form a critical
mass. We need just a spark.” —WITH REPORTS FROM JAYMEE T. GAMIL, JEROME
ANING, TONETTE OREJAS, KIMBERLIE QUITASOL, CARLA P. GOMEZ, ALLAN
NAWAL, MARICAR CINCO, ROY STEPHEN C. CANIVEL AND GABRIEL PABICO
LALU