SC must redeem itself

Given the widespread, vehement objection to the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, the Supreme Court should realize its mistake and immediately take steps to reverse its despicable ruling on the quo warranto case filed against their colleague.

The following are the most odious aspects of the high court ruling:

1. It gave due course to a petition that was prohibited under the one-year ban on quo warranto cases;

2. It violated the constitutional provision on impeachment as means to remove members of the high court;

3. It effectively deprived the Senate of its constitutional mandate to try Sereno for alleged impeachable offenses, including those cited in the quo warranto case;

4. It strikes a big blow to judicial independence, the separation of powers and system of checks and balances among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government;

5. It makes all sitting justices and judges of the courts constantly vulnerable to threats and political pressure from the executive;

6. Six of the eight justices who voted against Sereno had shown manifest bias against her but refused to inhibit themselves from the case.

The justices of the Supreme Court should repair this self-inflicted attack on the institution.

They should act now to prevent the rise of a strongman who has shown utter disregard for democratic governance, human rights, the rule of law and plain decency.

If it wants to, it is not too late for the Supreme Court to save itself.

MOVEMENT AGAINST TYRANNY, [email protected]