MANILA – Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno wanted four Supreme Court justices to inhibit from hearing and deciding on the quo warranto petition filed against her.
Her camp filed on Thursday four separate motions for the inhibition of associate justices Francis Jardeleza, Diosdado Peralta, Noel Tijam, and Lucas Bersamin over concerns of “bias” and “animosity.”
Sereno said she has “reasonable grounds to believe” that Jardeleza, Peralta and Bersamin “manifested,” “professed” or “exhibited” bias when they testified at the House of Representatives Committee on Justice’s hearings on the impeachment complaint against her.
“There is reasonable basis to conclude from Justice Jardeleza’s testimony that he harbored ill feelings towards the Chief Justice as a consequence of the latter’s challenge to his integrity during the nomination process for the Associate Justice position (vice Hon. Justice Roberto Abad) in 2014,” read part of Sereno’s motion.
“Justice Peralta’s apparent bias seems to have arisen from his belief that it was the Chief Justice who caused the exclusion of his wife, Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Fernanda Lampas Peralta, from the list of applicants for the position of CA Presiding Justice,” it added.
Moreover, “Bersamin showed bias when he said at a House hearing that the Supreme Court could not function if one is a dictator,” the motion stated. “It is not mere innocuous remarks but expressions of what may be considered as Justice Bersamin’s personal animosity towards her.”
On the part of Tijam, Sereno pointed out that he was quoted in a news article as saying the Chief Justice would be “liable for culpable violation of the Constitution” if she “continues to ignore and continues to refuse to participate in the impeachment process.”
Sereno asserted that these four justices’ participation would violate her constitutional right to due process.
Solicitor General Jose Calida initiated the quo warranto petition questioning the appointment of Sereno.
Several lawmakers, private citizens and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines sought intervention in this move, insisting that the chief justice may be removed only via impeachment./PN
