Sereno seen manipulating clerk of court appointment

CHIEF Justice Maria Lourdes Aranal-Sereno is reportedly scheming to appoint her choice for Supreme Court (SC) Clerk of Court for the en banc without passing through the 15-man court.

According to unimpeachable sources of TheManilaTimes in the high tribunal, Sereno ordered see if it is possible the next clerk of court can be appointed with going through the 15-man court.

The source said Sereno is eyeing the possibility of the next en banc clerk of court being appointed by her alone or with three chairper the appointment.

TheTimes learned Sereno disliked the most Senior among the of Court Edgar Aricheta since he is allegedly close to the late Chief fraternity brother in the Utopia Fraternity of the Ateneo College of Law.

If the three chairpersons of the sign the appointment, this means that it shall only be signed by Sereno as chairperson of the SC 1st Carpio as chairman of the SC 2nd Velasco as chairperson of the SC

This is similar to alleged manipulations exposed in the impeachment complainant by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, or the appointments of Jay Angeles Mendoza as Philippine Ju the Philippine Mediation Center and IT Consultant Helen PerezMacasaet, which were not passed through the SC en banc.

Another instance when Sereno made a manipulation is when she ordered the appointment of Court of Appeals Justice Gabriel Ingles without passing through the en banc. Ingles’ appointment was signed only by the three SC

The source said Sereno has refused to include in the agenda clerk of court. “Et on an am an si ya, mamanip ula h inn ana mann i Se reno ang appointment ng next en banc clerk of court. Pero this time hindi nasiyalulusot [ Here she goes again, Sereno is manipulating the appointment of the next en her scheming will not succeed],” the high tribunal source told The Times.

on February 22, 2018. She was supposed to retire in August 2017 upon reaching the retirement age of 65 but her tenure was extended by the magistrates for six months.

The appointment of Anama’s predecessor, Enriqueta Vidal, was - sion chairpersons.

Four lawyers of the high tribunal - candidate who gets the highest num justices notches the position.

with a rank and salary of a Court of Appeals associate justice.

The aspirants for the position are Aricheta, clerk of court of the Lourdes Perfecto, clerk of court set to retire next year; Wilfredo Lapitan, clerk of court of the SC assistant clerk of court of the SC

The clerk of court of the en banc - sial cases in the high tribunal, including constitutional issues and cases, dismissal of justices, judges and lawyers, and cases of transcendental importance. Cases of writs of kalikasan, writs of amparo, and habeas data are handled by the clerk of court.