Sereno rallying support from public — lawyer

Embattled Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno is gathering from the public the support in hurdling the impeachment case against her that she has not obtained from the judiciary so far.

Lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, complainant in the impeachment case against Sereno in Congress, said this yesterday as he cited her visibility in recent public forums.

“CJ Sereno is doing the rounds lately in an obvious move to gather public sympathy, which she did not get from colleagues in the SC and from judges and court employees,” Gadon told The STAR.

“But I think it’s too late because her trust rating is very low at 31 percent and is even going down,” he added.

Sereno appeared in at least three forums last week where she talked about judicial independence and how she is becoming a victim of injustice.

In a dialogue with Christian churches organized by the Philippine Campus Crusade for Christ last Nov. 8, Sereno accused the House justice committee of violating her constitutional right when it rejected her plea for her lawyers to cross-examine witnesses in her impeachment case.

“It’s a basic right of every citizen to be defended by who she wants to be defended. If this can happen to a chief justice, it can happen to anyone. If my rights are not observed, nobody’s rights are safe in this country,” she was quoted as saying.

She also said that witnesses “were being threatened” to invent stories against her.

In the same church gathering, which was closed to media coverage, Sereno also asked the public for prayers and support, especially for her children who she said have been greatly affected by the allegations against her.

Sereno also attended the 55th Philippine Economic Society Annual Meeting and Conference in Quezon City on Nov. 8.

She called for judicial independence and the rule of law, which she said are both crucial to restoring investor confidence and achieving economic prosperity.