By Moira Encina
Eagle News Service
Barring hitches, the Supreme Court will act on Maria Lourdes Sereno’s appeal of the High Court decision that nullified her appointment as Chief Justice, and therefore decide on the issue with finality, this month.
This is according to Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, who spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the SC’s celebration of its 117th anniversary on Friday, June 8.
“We will decide that hopefully this month,” Carpio said when asked.
According to Carpio, when the SC decides, “we must follow.”
He noted that he himself “belong(ed) to the minority,” having voted against the quo warranto petition–which sought for the nullification of Sereno’s Chief Justice appointment in 2012—filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.
Apart from Carpio, Associate Justices Marvic Leonen, Benjamin Caguioa, Estela Perlas Bernabe, Mariano del Castillo and Presbitero Velasco voted against the petition.
In favor of the petition were Associate Justices Teresita de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Samuel Martires, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes, Alexander Gesmundo and Francis Jardeleza.
“I lost but that’s it. You win you lose. But we are governed by the rule of the majority. That’s how our democracy works,” Carpio said.
“Whether its correct or wrong, we just have to accept it because that’s how we can move on,” he added.
Even without a final decision on the issue, the picture and name of Sereno have already been removed from the list of incumbent justices in the SC website.
A check of the website on Friday afternoon showed an SC logo amid a purple background in the box allotted for the chief magistrate instead.
Instead of Sereno’s name, the term “Chief Justice” appeared below the box.
The boxes allotted for Reyes and Gesmundo also had the same SC logo and background, but their names were still written under those boxes.
The website is run by the SC Public Information Office.