Decision on quo warranto plea in May? Why the rush, asks Sereno spokesperson

A spokesperson for Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Thursday questioned why the Supreme Court (SC) seems to be in a hurry to decide the petition that wants to invalidate the top magistrate's appointment to her post.

In response to Acting Justice Antonio Carpio's statement that the SC may rule on Solicitor General Jose Calida's petition for quo warranto by May, lawyer Josa Deinla said: "We cannot help but ask, why the rush?"

Earlier in the day and without citing specifics, Carpio said the SC hopes to decide on the case "as soon as we can" or "by next month."

Deinla said the SC is supposed to be on recess after April 24, their last en banc session day in Baguio City, and should only resume in June.

"The quo warranto is an important case which if granted will upend our justice system as we know it. The SC has not even heard the side of any of [the] intervenors," she said.

The SC has announced its denial of all intervention pleas except for  that of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines' Board of Governors, which it "noted."

The IBP had no participation in the oral arguments conducted on Calida's petition on April 10, where Sereno faced her colleagues' heated questioning on the case that could potentially kick her out of the office she was supposed to stay in until 2030.

Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes have also sought to intervene in the case, arguing that granting Calida's petition will undermine their authority as members of the Senate to remove impeachable officials from office.

Sereno is accused of not filing all her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth in accordance with the law. Invoking jurisprudence, she counters she has consistently filed them and is looking for the "missing" ones. —Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/KBK, GMA News