SolGen asking SC to remove Sereno is 'outside' Constitution, VP Robredo says

 
The move to oust the current Chief Justice by her colleagues is not provided for by the 1987 Constitution.

The Vice President of the Republic Maria Leonor Robredo  gave her two cents on the Solicitor General move of trying to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno via quo warranto proceeding. Such a petition is “outside the constitution, Robredo said.

She bats for the impeachment process that is provided for clearly by the 1987 Constitution, Robredo was quoted after the House of representative committee voted that there was enough grounds to impeach the top magistrate of the Supreme Court. *

Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo (photo by Manila Bulletin)

A few days back Solicitor general Jose Calida filed before the Supreme Court a quo warranto petition asking it to void Sereno's appointment due to alleged misdeclaration of wealth.

"Yung quo warranto, outside the Constitution. Yung impeachable officers sinasabi ng batas na pwede lang matanggal through impeachment," Robredo said.

Kung pagbotohan na i-elevate sa Senate, aabangan natin ang proceedings sa Senate kasi lahat naman tayo gusto katotohanan," Robredo added.

The House of Representatives must draft the articles of impeachment against Chief Justice Sereno, which eventually will be submitted to the plenary for approval.

If it gets the required votes, it will be forwarded to the Senate which will act as an Impeachment court. Two-thirds vote of all the senators is needed to remove Sereno as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Lawyer Lorenzo Gadon was the one who initiated the complaint against the Chief Justice, in his complaint he alleges that the top magistrate committed acts that is culpable of violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, corruption, and other high crimes- hence he should be impeached.

Gadon claims that Sereno misdeclared her wealth insisting on the purchase of a P5.1-million sports utility vehicle, and delaying the benefits of retired SC personnel. *

The Vice President in her speech for in celebration of International Women’s Day, said more and more women are subjected to harassment and much has to be done to achieve gender equality.

"We can begin by teaching our young boys at home to wash their own clothes," Robredo said.

While “society is kinder to men than women” it still the “greatest time to be a woman” and fight gender inequality, said Robredo, a widowed mother of three.

Report from ABS-CBN News