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Palace eases Leni’s fears Over the use of Supreme Court ‘weapon’ that unseated Sereno
By Vito Barcelo and Rio N. Araja
Princely pleasure for royal wedding THE highly-anticipated marriage between Britain’s Prince Harry and US actress Meghan Markle in Windsor on Saturday has generated a slew of quirky side-stories and offbeat tribNext page utes.
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Oversexed marsupials endangered species SYDNEY—Two marsupial species whose males die after marathon sex sessions have been put on Australia’s endangered list, with scientists warning Tuesday they are racing against the clock to save them. Next page
DUSKY ANTECHINUS. This undated handout photo from the Queensland Museum released Tuesday shows a silver-headed antechinus. Two marsupial species with males that die after marathon sex sessions have been put on Australia’s endangered list, with scientists warning they are racing against the clock to save them. AFP
Recount shows Duterte victim of vote shaving By Rey E. Requejo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte may also be a victim of election fraud, particularly vote shaving, during the 2016 national elections, the camp of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Tuesday. A spokesman for Marcos, Vic Rodriguez, said the ongoing recount to settle the former senator’s election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo showed discrepancies in the votes for Next page Duterte in Camarines Sur.
Duterte cites political reason for no-show FINDING himself in a situation where he had to choose only one side from among his supporters, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday his decision to skip the 2018 barangay (village) elections was “purely political.” “Everyone who was running is my friend. Almost all were my supporters during the last election,” he told reporters in Taguig City during the wake of the late former senator Edgardo Angara. “They would never believe that I voted for them or against them.” Next page
Monsod: SC ruling defies ‘87 Charter
Quo Warranto
POP-UP PORTRAIT. The Crown jewels of London unofficial royal wedding souvenir four-pack comes in a box that when opened reveals a pop-up portrait representation of Harry and Meghan and plays a combined arrangement of the US and British national anthems accompanied by the legend ‘Your prince will come.’ AFP
, MAY 16, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net
SADISTIC SWORD. Like a sword of Damocles, in the view of some, hanging over the heads of government critics, this quo warranto cutlass, a legal proceeding to recover an office, franchise, or privilege from the person in possession, initiated as upon an information, instills fears despite Malacañang assurances it does not subscribe to the view this can be used against political opponents.
HE Palace said Tuesday it has no intention of removing Vice President Leni Robredo through a quo warranto petition after she expressed fears that the “weapon” used to oust Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno could be used against the administration’s political opponents. In ousting Sereno 8-6, the Supreme Court noted that under the rules of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, a president and vice president may also be removed by a quo warranto petition filed by any registered voter on the grounds of ineligibility or disloyalty to the country within 10 days of their proclamation. But Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the Palace does not subscribe to this view, and said Sereno was found ineligible to occupy the position of chief justice for lack of integrity because she did not submit the required Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth when she applied for the position in 2012. Roque, however, said impeachable officials such as the president, vice president, members of constitutional commissions, members of the Supreme Court and the Ombdusman may be subject to a quo warranto action if they do not meet the requirements for their position. “If there is a requirement that one should be a national born citizen and that is a requirement also for the Supreme Court, then if there are issues involving citizenship of a Supreme Court justice then it could be filed and questioned through a petition for quo warranto,” Roque said. Citing the 1987 Constitution, Roque said the law allows the removal of an impeachable officer through other means, in this case, a quo warranto action. Robredo said Tuesday she was not losing hope amid “dark times.” Next page
By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz ONE of the framers of the 1986 Constitution said the Supreme Court went against the intention of the Charter in using a quo warranto petition to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. Lawyer Christian Monsod, who headed the committee that drafted the Constitutional provision on impeachment, also rejected the position of Solicitor General Jose Calida that the quo warranto can be used even a year after “the cause of such action” because “no time runs against the king.” “That is the lowest kind of reasoning and a blatant exhibition of arrogance,” Monsod said in a television interview. The majority decision that ousted Sereno from office claimed Article XI, Section 2 of the Constitution “does not foreclose a quo warranto action” against impeachable officers such as the chief magistrate. But Monsod noted that the Charter made a distinction between impeachable officers and all other public officers and employees who “may be removed from office as provided by law, but not by impeachment.” He recalled the subsequent sentence of Section 2 was suggested by fellow commissioner Next page
WASTE NOT YOUR WASTE. Zero waste advocates from the Ecowaste Coalition show how used poll campaign materials—as those in Monday’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections—can be creatively and safely reused, repurposed or recycled to reduce trash disposal. Lino Santos
7 village chiefs to settle tie via toss coin CEBU CITY—The contest for village chief in seven barangays in Cebu province resulted in a tie on Monday after the counting of ballots in the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. This was learned Tuesday from provincial election supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano, who said they received re-
ports of the tied results from the towns of Malabuyoc, San Fernando, Tabogon, Alcantara, and Catmon but have yet to specifically identify the names of those barangays. Based on a Commission on Elections resolution, Castillano said the candidates who got the same number of votes must break the tie through a toss coin. Next page
UN to PH: Remove 600 from terror list A UNITED Nations committee on Tuesday urged the Philippines to remove indigenous peoples or IPs and human rights defenders from a list of more than 600 individuals allegedly affiliated with “terrorist organizations,” including
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, a Cordillera-born Filipina who is a UN special rapporteur. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said in a decision in its 95th session held in Geneva, Switzerland that the country must address “the dire situation faced by indigenous leaders and human rights defenders engaged in the fight against racial discrimination in the country.” Next page