Ex-Marcos lawyer ‘amplifies’ appeal for SC to reconsider bid vs. Sereno

A former lawyer of late President Ferdinand Marcos has "amplified" his bid for the Supreme Court to reconsider his dismissed petition seeking the nullification of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno's appointment.

In a two-page "amplification of motion for reconsideration" filed Tuesday, petitioner Oliver Lozano argued that the voiding of Sereno's appointment does not prescribe "because it is based on void of inexistent appointment for being against a mandatory provision of the Constitution."

The SC dismissed his original petition on March 6 for its "failure to provide substantial allegations to justify a cause of action." The following day, Lozano filed a motion for reconsideration.

"Advantage: to void the Sereno appointment is to protect the independence of the Supreme Court from alleged Congressional Terrorism," Lozano said.

"Need for speedy justice: to end, once and for all, local and international ignominy of having an alleged 'baliw at batang' Chief Justice in the Philippines."

Sereno, who is on indefinite leave as she prepares for a possible Senate impeachment trial, has so far resisted all calls for her to resign.

But Lozano said the leave "amounts to resignation or removal," and claimed Sereno's office may be "padlocked to prevent unilateral assumption to office and demand pay without work to which she is not legally or morally entitled."

"In fact, she should return her paid salaries and benefits including her Golden Car," he said. Sereno is accused in the impeachment complaint of acquiring a "luxury vehicle."

Apart from impeachment proceedings, Sereno is also facing a petition for quo warranto filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.

This ouster petition asks the SC to remove her from office over her alleged incomplete submission of her statements of assets and liabilities while she was applying for chief justice in 2012. —KBK, GMA News