Sereno: Hear my side first at Senate
court employees continued their call yesterday for her resignation, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno vowed to fight “to the end” as she dismissed their move as “extraconstitutional adventurism” that could further hurt the rule of law.
“Resigning from my post as Chief Justice will only serve to erode the independence of the Supreme Court and embolden those who demand a subservient judiciary,” Sereno said at a forum organized by her supporters at the University of the Philippines-Diliman in Quezon City.
Sereno has lambasted critics for resorting to shortcuts to have her removed instead of just waiting for her trial before a Senate impeachment court.
The government’s chief lawyer Solicitor General Jose Calida is also contesting the legality of her 2012 appointment as chief magistrate through a quo warranto case.
At the forum, Sereno stressed she would “do the right thing and fight this impeachment to the end.”
She assailed those involved in moves to oust her for abusing their power.
“Alang-alang sa Inang Bayan, kailangang labanan ko ito para hindi maulit ang kalapastanganan ng ito ng ilang makapangyarihan (For the sake of our motherland, I need to fight this so there will not be a repeat of this travesty by those in power),” the Chief Justice added.
The “red Monday” protest by court employees against Sereno entered its second week yesterday. To dramatize their protests, court employees showed up in red at the flag-raising ceremony. Their spokesman read out a statement asking Sereno to resign.
She accused critics of trying to make it appear she was to blame for “the mess the judiciary finds itself in.” She maintained she was not the one who started the trouble.
She also bewailed that some judges and judiciary employees may have just been politically pressured.
“It is very sad for the institution that some judges and employees whose freedom and conscience and independence I have fought very hard to defend have succumbed to pressures to enter the political fray,” Sereno said.
“They say the judiciary should move on. But what peace can there be if there is no justice? And there can never be justice unless all parties are heard. My only wish is, please wait for me to air my side before the Senate,” she said in Filipino.
The chief magistrate expressed confidence the judiciary “will emerge stronger and more highly regarded” after the controversy.
Supporters of the Chief Justice also made a show of force and urged her to fight on.
They include the University of the Philippines Portia Sorority, which counts as members Sereno and her adversary Associate Justice Teresita de Castro. “Make no mistake, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has shattered several glass ceilings. One would be a fool to think that it would be easy to break her,” a sorority statement read.
Another group, the Coalition for Justice, urged the top magistrate to stand her ground amid “unethical and unconstitutional” attempts to remove her from office.