CFJ STATEMENT ON SOLGEN CALIDA'S REFUSAL TO FILE QUO WARRANTO ACTION AGAINST JUSTICE TERESITA DE CASTRO, APRIL 25, 2018

Let us light candles and hold a vigil, for justice has just died.

Solicitor General Jose Calida has refused to take action on the citizen's request to file a quo warranto petition against Justice Teresita de Castro. He is basing his refusal on the specious justification that it was not de Castro who was appointed Chief Justice, but Maria Lourdes Sereno. He says that the basis for quo warranto applicable to Sereno cannot be imposed on de Castro because she was not appointed Chief Justice anyway.

This is a ridiculous, pathetic evasion. The issue here is INTEGRITY. If CJ Sereno's probity is being impugned because of a few missing SALNs which she has PROVEN that she filed, then the same strict standard should be applied to de Castro. If Calida cannot accept the fact of Sereno's substantial compliance, then neither should he accept de Castro's. It does not matter that she was not appointed CJ. After all, Calida claims that integrity is a continuing requirement, and when it is proven that a Justice has no integrity, she can be removed at any time.

Following Calida’s argument, De Castro’s failure to clear Calida's high bar of "integrity" should make her ineligible for her post as Associate Justice and, thus, subject to quo warranto proceedings, period.

What we see here at work is a blatant double standard. Operating here is a policy of injustice where friends are protected and foes are persecuted; where lies are spun to defend or attack; where the selective application of law is key. This is all we can expect from this regime. It can produce no better. We will be fools to hope for more.

Let us together mourn the demise of justice at the hands of those sworn to protect it. They have culpably violated the Constitution. They have shamelessly betrayed our trust. They have killed justice in this land. They are not fit to continue in office. It is time to hold them to account. Let us grieve, but then let us move. It is now incumbent upon us to act. We the people must resuscitate justice, and together let us apply it with full force and effect upon them.