MANILA — Malacañang on Thursday said that it respects the Senate resolution asking the Supreme Court to review its decision to nullify Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s appointment.
“The senators are free to sign such a resolution,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing, noting that it was part of the Senate’s inherent legislative powers.
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan earlier said that 14 or majority of the 24 senators have already signed the resolution which will be filed on Thursday.
Aside from Pangilinan, other senators who signed the resolution are Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Senators Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Leila de Lima, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda, Grace Poe, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Joel Villanueva.
The draft resolution showed that under the Constitution, the House of Representatives should have exclusive power to initiate all impeachment cases while the Senate has the “sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment.”
However, Roque said that he also takes note of the statement of Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson that it appears to be premature because no articles of impeachment have been forwarded to the Senate.
According to Lacson, the Senate has no jurisdiction over the case decided by the Supreme Court because the articles of impeachment have not yet been transmitted.
“It depends if the House transmits the articles of impeachment to the Senate, that’s another matter we have to discuss as a collegial body,” Lacson said.
Nonetheless, Roque said that the Palace “completely” respected the discretion of the Senate.
“But of course we respect completely the discretion of the Senate to file this resolution,” Roque said.
On May 11, the Supreme Court sitting en banc, voted 8-6, granting the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida seeking to nullify Sereno’s appointment.
Sereno is the first Chief Justice to be removed from office through quo warranto proceedings. (PNA)
