Statement of CHR Chairperson Jose Luis Martin Gascon on the Supreme Court decision to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno

I am saddened by the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno through a quo warranto petition. The 1987 Constitution is clear that a sitting Chief Justice can only be removed through impeachment. At the same time, the rules on availing the remedy of a quo warranto have long been established.

I am equally surprised that the majority of the justices would arrive at a ruling that many former SC justices, law experts, and learned law faculties have said would raise serious Constitutional questions that may lead to political and legal uncertainties in the future. ■

DOWNLOAD FILE HERE