Judicial group concerned over SC decision vs. Sereno, hopes due process is preserved

The Judicial Reform Initiative (JRI) has expressed concern over the decision of the Supreme Court to oust former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

"We respect the power and prerogative of the Supreme Court to hear and decide on petitions brought before its chambers," the JRI said in a statement dated May 14.

"However, we are concerned that the quo warranto petition against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was given precedence over the constitutionally mandated impeachment proceedings that had already progressed to a substantial extent in Congress at the time the petition was filed," it added.

The JRI, a private sector umbrella group created by judicial advocacy groups, underscored that determining whether the accusations against Sereno have basis lies solely in the hands of the Congress through an impeachment trial.

“We take particular note of the Court’s statement in the decision that the Chief Justice 'chronically failed to file her SALNs and thus violated the Constitution, the law and the Code of Judicial Conduct,'"  the JRI said.

"Without passing judgment on the conclusion, this can qualify as grounds for impeachment, the determination of which is left by the Constitution exclusively to Congress through the impeachment process," it added.

Amid the decision, the JRI said it is hoping that "due process will be preserved and any motion for reconsideration given utmost respect and attention."

"We welcome any and all efforts to safeguard the integrity and sanctity of our constitutional processes. We believe there is merit in studying the findings of those justices who registered their dissent," it added.

Voting 8-6, the High Tribunal has granted the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against Sereno which questioned the validity of the latter's appointment in 2012 over alleged lack of integrity on the grounds of missing asset declarations.

Sereno, for her part, will file a motion for reconsideration which seeks to overturn the SC's decision. — BAP, GMA News