No CJ post bid for Carpio

Saying he does not want to be accused of gaining from the recent ouster of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, acting Supreme Court Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said he will decline a nomination for the highest post in the judiciary.

Carpio, who voted against the quo warranto petition filed against Sereno that led to her ouster, said he does not want to cultivate perceptions he will benefit from the expulsion of Sereno from the highest court in the land.

“On a personal level, because I voted against it, I don’t want to benefit from it so I will decline any nomination…I have to be consistent with my position that the quo warranto was not the proper way to remove a sitting member of the court,” Carpio said.

He reiterated that he does not “hanker for any position at this point” and stressed that he will be retiring next year.

Carpio said his position on the quo warranto case, even if he is the acting chief justice, did not have any influence on other Supreme Court magistrates.

“If you are a chief justice, you only have one vote, same as a vote of an associate justice. It doesn’t mean that because you’re a chief justice, the other justice will follow you; they will follow you if your ponencia is correct, convincing, powerful,” he said.

Ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno who BBC news program “Hardtalk” host Stephen Sackur said sounded every bit a political during a recent interview has still to indicate plans to join the Liberal Party (LP) slate for next year’s elections but LP president Francis Pangilinan said she would be a strong addition to the party.

LP stalwart Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the party has not talked with Sereno on her possible senatorial bid.

“We have not discussed that. I have always taken the position that being a candidate is personal decision of the person, whether or not he or she would want to throw his or her hat in the political ring and present himself or herself to the people,” Drilon said.

“You’re sounding very much like a politician and a die-hard opponent of Rodrigo Duterte than you’re sounding like a chief justice of the Supreme Court,” Sackur said in the Sereno interview.”

Carpio subscribes to the argument that only an impeachment process can remove a Supreme Court official, thus voting against the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.

“I look at this at two levels: As head of the institution right now, although temporarily, I will have to implement the decision of the court that there is a vacancy so we will open it for applications,” Carpio said.

“I have to be consistent with my position that the quo warranto is not a proper way to remove a sitting member of the court. I don’t want to benefit from the decision to which I disagreed. But I will have to implement it because I’m the temporary head of the institution,” he said.

The acting chief justice though noted that Sereno had committed a culpable violation of the Constitution, citing the impeachable offense of repeatedly failed to submit 10 statements of assets, liabilities and net worth in her application as chief justice.

“What was shown in the records is she did not file her SALNs — she failed to file for several years. It was an intentional non-filing,” he noted. However, he added that failure to file SALNs can be corrected by simply filing the SALNs. “It is deemed compliance,” he said.

“If you decline a nomination, then your name will not be included in the list to be submitted to the President,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte is mandated by the Constitution to select within 90 days an appointee after the JBC submits a shortlist for the position of chief justice.

A lost cause, was how Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan yesterday described the issue on the pending Senate resolution expressing the sense of the upper chamber against the removal of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno from her post.

After the SC ruled with finality on Sereno’s ouster as chief justice, Pangilinan admitted that impossibility of mustering enough votes on the floor, if they will push for the adoption of Resolution 738.

“I doubt if we will still get a majority of 14 [senators] to push for this,” he said.

Pangilinan was referring to 14 of his colleagues who signed the resolution who are Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Antonio Trillanes IV, Sonny Angara, Leila de Lima, Grace Poe, Bam Aquino, Win Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Joel Villanueva, Loren Legarda and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.

The Senate, however, failed to act on the resolution as it was temporarily shelved due to lack of time. Congress adjourned sine die last May 30.

Key figures in the political opposition, former President Benigno Aquino and defeated presidential aspirant, former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II are lying low in politics.

From the looks of it, both Aquino and Roxas, who are stalwarts in the Liberal Party (LP), will not have an active role in the coming 2019 midterm elections, Pangilinan said.

“He (Aquino) will help but we have not finalized the details. Mar Roxas said he does not want to run,” he said.

Instead of fielding a full slate, the LP is eyeing of forming a coalition with other opposition parties in forming a senatorial line-up.

So far, the list on six potential candidates led by the lone re-electionist from their ranks, Sen. Bam Aquino, remains the same.

Pangilinan, said their so-called “Resistance Coalition” will field at least six candidates that include Sen. Bam, former Quezon Rep. Erin Tanada, FLAG chair Chel Diokno, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano and former Akbayan party-list Rep. Barry Gutierrez. Singer-actress Agot Isidro is still being considered.