SC chief’s defense of judges in drug list
SUPREME Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s weighing in on the controversy over the shaming of public officials and employees in his anti-illegal drugs campaign is no ordinary dissent.
It’s the head of the judiciary branch, an independent branch of the government, who’s formally telling President Duterte that his list is “error-prone,” “premature,” and a threat to the lives of the seven judges.
The errors--which also plagued other parts of the list of government personnel, past and present, who are accused of protecting drug dealers--include the tarnishing of the reputation of a judge who was already dismissed nine years ago, a judge who was killed in 2008, two judges who don’t have jurisdiction over drug cases, and two MTC judges who cannot possibly influence the drug trade.
She cautioned the judges not to surrender to police without warrant of arrest. But why take the cudgels only for the judges?
The judges, smeared by the publicity, suffer loss of credibility in their work and face the danger of vigilante or police execution. That’s her primary concern.
As to the plight of others--mayors, vice mayors and police offices--Sereno cannot publicly talk about it. But her thoughts on the procedure in going after the drug suspects should give an idea how she’d vote if a case were raised to the high tribunal.
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