Good morning, Rappler readers!
Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was removed as chief justice last week, after majority of her colleagues in the Supreme Court (SC) voted in favor of a quo warranto petition against her, calls on President Rodrigo Duterte to resign for pushing for her ouster. She also calls on the public to fight Duterte’s “dictatorial” rule.
In a forum organized by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Thursday, May 17, Sereno recalls that the President vowed in speech weeks ago that he would tell lawmakers to fast track the impeachment process against her.
Impeachment is the only process allowed in the Constitution to remove the Chief Justice. However, Duterte’s appointed Solicitor General filed a quo warranto petition with the SC, where justices openly critical of Sereno refused to inhibit from the voting.
Majority of senators now want to assert the chamber’s authority as an impeachment court to determine if Sereno should be ousted, while opposition lawmakers say they will seek the impeachment of the 8 SC justices who voted for Sereno’s ouster.
The Ateneo de Manila University is calling for a reversal of the SC vote.
The Chief Justice’s unconstitutional removal, in fact, will have an impact on the economy, an economist with the University of the Philippines writes for Rappler.
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