To most people, the petition also invites the suspicion that the so-called impeachment grounds against Sereno are sloppy and weak and would not prosper in the Senate, hence the fast lane taken by Solicitor General Jose Calida, who could rely on the strong numbers of anti-Sereno justices in the Supreme Court.
But outside the Court, Leonen could count on a gathering storm of popular support, and the strong dissenting voices of ranking officials such as Vice President Leni Robredo, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Antonio Trillanes and Risa Hontiveros, Rep. Gary Alejano, and Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Abdiel Dan Fajardo.
In sum and substance, these dissenters argue that the quo warranto petition is illegal because an impeachable official cannot be removed through a nonimpeachment proceeding. Furthermore, the method constitutes a dangerous assault on the Senate’s integrity and the Philippines’ democratic processes. If the petition is approved, no impeachable official is safe from such a Sword of Damocles, not even the President himself.
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