Judges set to ask Sereno to resign EXCLUSIVE

THE biggest league of judges in the Philippines and court employees’ organizations nationwide are set to call on Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to step down from her post.

The Philippine Judges Association, the 1,000-strong group of regional trial court judges nationwide, will lead the call for Sereno to resign so as to “spare the judiciary from further humiliation.”

Also joining the call for resignation are the Supreme Court Employees’ Association ( SCEA), the Supreme Court Assembly of Lawyer Employees (Scale), the Philippine Association of Court Employees (PACE) and the Sandiganbayan Employees Association (SEA).

The heads of these groups are expected to join the Supreme Court’s two weeks after Sereno was forced by her fellow magistrates to go on impeachment trial in the Senate.

On Friday, the justice committee

Sereno for corruption and other high crimes, betrayal of public trust - stitution. The committee report will

She was accused by the impeachment complainant, lawyer - illegal appointments, bypassing the Supreme Court or the - ing the appointment of former as associate justice.

Some associate justices, such de Castro and Diosdado Peralta House panel.

- questioned by Solicitor General for before the Supreme Court last week.

Red vs white

The Supreme Court associate justices, trial judges and court workers are expected to hold another “Red Shirt” day today to press Sereno to quit.

Philippine Judges Association Felix Reyes will lead the call for Sereno to tender her resignation.

- that it was time for Sereno to quit.

The statement calling for Sereno’s resignation, obtained by

, states: “The pending impeachment proceed the entire judiciary in disrepute, thereby affecting the honor and integrity of its justices, judges, other resulting in a distressing the fact that the Court en banc has for quo warranto and ordered instead of dismissing it outright. The Court can no longer endure truly dedicated and conscien through another set of hearings and go against each other again in the Senate.”

“Chief Justice, let us please not allow history to judge you as the

Reyes told that Sereno’s resignation would spare the judiciary from further attacks.

He pointed out that it would be an awkward situation for the quo warranto petition to be decided by Sereno’s fellow justices, and for some of the justices to testify against Sereno in the Senate impeachment court.

“Remember that [Sereno’s] colleagues will rule [on] her case in the quo warranto petition; it will be awkward already. Once the Senate impeachment trial begins, the [ justices] who became the resource persons in the House of - nesses already and be subjected to cross-examination. We cannot allow that to happen, that the Supreme Court justices will be grilled by the senators,” Reyes said.

The president of the judges’ association couldn’t help but compare the impeachment cases against Sereno and the late chief justice Renato Corona.

“Before, under Corona, the judiciary as a family came under attack House and the Senate, which is why we, the children, defended Chief Justice Corona,” he said in Filipino.

“But now with Sereno’s loom - ing inside our home. Our mothers - ing each other. That’s why one of

Diliman, where her supporters will wear white shirts.