De Castro appointed CJ due to seniority
Teresita Leonardo-De Castro's appointment as chief justice of the Supreme Court is not a reward for helping oust Maria Lourdes Sereno, Malacañang said Sunday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said insinuating that De Castro's appointment was a reward for her testifying against Sereno at the House of Representatives or for voting in favor of a quo warranto petition questioning her tenure as chief justice is not helpful.
“PRRD (President Rodrigo Duterte) upheld judicial professionalism by appointing the most senior of aspirants,” Roque said in a statement. Roque was reacting to Rep. Gary Alejano's (Magdalo party-list) claim that De Castro was only rewarded for “spearheading the ouster of predecessor Maria Lourdes Sereno."
Sereno was ousted in May after the Supreme Court decided in favor of a petition questioning the validity of her appointment as chief justice.
“Barely a month and three weeks [after], De Castro was appointed CJ of SC. She was rewarded by spearheading the ouster of Sereno,” Alejano, a vocal critic of the Duterte administration and a potential candidate for the Senate, said in a social media post.
"She would retire in less than two months with a pabaon (parting gift) of a chief justice. This is a clear case of bayad-utang, walang delikadesa at garapalan sa gobyerno, (pay back, lack of decency, and shamelessness in government,) he added.
Another opposition lawmaker, Rep. Antonio Tino (ACT Teachers Party-list) also questioned Duterte's decision to appoint De Castro, who reaches retirement age in October.
"President Duterte's decision to appoint a nominee who is set to retire in two months suggests that he's motivated by short-term political interests rather than any intention to strengthen the credibility and independence of the Supreme Court," Tinio said.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman likewise said De Castro's appointment has something to do with the Sereno ouster.
Lagman slammed De Castro for “betraying the public” when she did not inhibit herself from the quo warranto petition against Sereno.
"De Castro should have seriously considered declining her nomination and refusing her impending appointment as chief justice of the Supreme Court considering the seriousness of the impeachment complaint against her for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust," Lagman said in a statement.