Carpio: SC not adversely affected by issues surrounding Sereno

Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio on Friday assured that operation of the Supreme Court has not been adversely affected by the recent controversies surrounding former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

“We function normally because we’re still 14 in the Supreme Court. We have a quorum in all our cases,” Carpio told reporters in a chance interview during the Supreme Court’s 117th anniversary.

Carpio said they are already used to the noises and protests related to controversial cases like the quo warranto petition that led to Sereno’s ouster.

“Both sides go to the media for their position so we are used to that already,” Carpio said.

He noted that at the end of the day, they have to respect the decision of the majority.

“The Supreme Court decides and we must follow,” Carpio said.

Carpio, the most senior magistrate, is one of the six justices who dissented with the majority in granting the quo warranto petition by Solicitor General Jose Calida.

In his dissenting opinion, Carpio maintained that it is the Senate that has the exclusive jurisdiction to try and remove impeachable officials.

“I belong to the minority. I lost but that’s it. I mean you win, you lose but we are governed by the rule of the majority. That’s how democracy works. Whether its correct or wrong, we just have to accept it because that’s how we can move on,” Carpio said.

He said they will soon decide on Sereno’s motion for reconsideration “because we also want to move on.”  /vvp

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