Let’s judge de Castro by her capability

We all know that then Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita de Castro was a witness in the House committee on justice inquiry into the impeachment complaint filed against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno last year.

And now we all know that de Castro is the new chief justice, appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to replace Sereno who was ousted in May by the SC magistrates who granted the Quo Warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against Sereno in March.

De Castro’s appointment drew mixed reactions. Some say she bagged the post as a reward for going against Sereno in the House committee inquiry and for voting in favor of the Quo Warranto petition.

But de Castro insisted her track record speaks for itself. As far as her qualification is concerned, she said “people should just think of my track record, my long service at the judiciary. And I don’t think that one incident like you mentioned (Quo Warranto petition) would have been enough for me to be elevated in this highest position of the judiciary.”

Even Duterte defended the appointment of de Castro, who will retire on October 8, saying it was based on seniority. The president made it clear that under his administration, seniority will be the basis for any appointment.

Well, de Castro is now chief justice and, as they say, life must go on. For at least 40 days, Filipinos need to deal with the fact that the new chief justice is the most senior of all high court magistrates.

However, let us not judge de Castro as the country’s top judge by what she has done against Sereno. Let us judge her by her capability, whether it revolves around a biased performance that only benefits the present administration or a fair judgment that people should expect from a true chief justice.