The Justices who voted for the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in the quo warranto petition must decline their respective nominations for the vacant post of Chief Magistrate.
They must not profit from their controversial adverse decision against Sereno.
I vote no because abolishing the ARMM and installing the “Bangsamoro Autonomous Homeland” by ordinary legislation is a flawed and unconstitutional process.
The pertinent provisions of the 1987 Constitution under Art. X elevate the ARMM to a constitutional entity similar to the COMELEC, COA, Civil Service Commission, Office of the Ombudsman, and the Commission on Human Rights.
After going ballistic for the removal of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno by filing and pursuing a quo warranto petition against her before the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Jose Calida is now himself facing ouster moves for conflict of interest in the enterprise of his family which cornered multi-million government contracts for security services.
Calida’s Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency, Inc. (VISAI) is family-owned with corporate officials and stockholders coming solely from Calida’s family.
The leadership of the House of Representatives has committed “treason” against the Chamber when it abandoned and forfeited the constitutional power of the House to initiate impeachment proceedings in the wake of the power grab by eight Justices of the Supreme Court who removed Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno by granting an irregular and improvident quo warranto petition.
The articles of impeachment submitted more than a month ago by the House Committee on Justice to the Committee on Rules has not been calendared for Plenary deliberation and voting.
The supreme people must have a way of penalizing errant Justices to ensure that justice prevails and the integrity of the Supreme Court and the independence of the Judiciary are restored.
The only viable remedy and constitutional mode of holding justices accountable for their blunder is to remove them from office by impeachment.
