The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) should respect the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to grant the quo warranto petition of Solicitor General Jose Calida which effectively ousted Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice.

“Respetuhin talaga natin ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema (Let us respect the decision of the Supreme Court), Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on radio.

The IBP has filed a motion for reconsideration before the Supreme Court to reverse the SC ruling even if it is not a party to the case.

The High Court did not grant an IBP petition for intervention on the quo warranto case.

Roque said that the IBP had the chance to file a motion for reconsideration but noted that it has “no standing.”

Lawyers should lead in respecting SC rule

“I think that the decision will not change, I think lawyers, as officers of the court, should be the first to encourage our citizens to respect and not question the decision of the Higher Court,” Roque said.

“‘Yan naman po ang katotohanan ‘no — walo sa labing-apat na kasama ni CJ ay nagsabi na hindi siya dapat magpatuloy sa kaniyang katungkulan (That’s the truth, eight out of the 14 peers of CJ say that she should not continue her duties),” he added.

Last May 11, voting 8-6, the SC granted the quo warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General seeking to nullify Sereno’s appointment as chief justice.

Sereno is the first chief justice to be removed from office through a quo warranto proceeding.

Previous articleCebu’s container port costs P10.4BNext articleWhy it’s not ‘just the flu’ Annie Grace Pagtolon-an