Archbishop warns of ‘crisis of truth’

Recent tirades between experts on law have left Filipinos more confused and divided on a critical issue involving the highest court of the land.

“The country is on the brink of crisis of truth,” Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, said as he warned on repercussions emanating from a controversial recent Supreme Court decision.

Last May 11, the Philippine Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling when eight of the fourteen high court justices granted a petition by Solicitor-General Jose Calida to unseat Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

The basis for Sereno’s ouster was her failure to file her Statement of Assets Liability and Net Worth (SALN) for a period of ten years since 2012. All ranking government officials, whether appointed, career service official or elected by the people, are required by law to file their SALN.

Gauge of corruption

The SALN is among the gauges used in determining if an official had engaged in corruption or was truthful in their dealings.

Although Tagle did not specifically mention the case involving Sereno, he said the continued spread of fake news and the growing legal debacle throughout the country has left Filipinos more confused and partitioned.

He said among its casualties in the confusion is the common good.

Tagle said that legal experts give the country “conflicting interpretations” of basic questions of law.

The case was a landmark decision because the ouster of Sereno was the first time that a Supreme Court judge, a Chief Justice at that, was ousted through a legal proceeding and not through impeachment.

Sereno’s predecessor, the late Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached through a lengthy trial by members of the Senate sitting at an impeachment tribunal in 2012.