NEWLY-APPOINTED Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro on Monday appealed to the political branches of the government not to intervene in the affairs of the judiciary and to accord respect to the decisions of the Supreme Court, particularly on controversial issues.
In her speech during her first flag-raising ceremony as chief magistrate, De Castro lamented that some sectors would easily believe and judge the justices based only on what they hear from others.
In reality, De Castro indicated that most of these people are ignorant about their work and what is actually happening inside the Court.
“People outside would like to judge us by what they see or hear from afar but it is us, the justices and officials of the Court, who know what is happening inside the Supreme Court and we should be left alone,” De Castro said.
“We should be left alone to decide for ourselves,” she added.
De Castro also sent a strong message to the Executive and Legislative branches of the government: the SC under her leadership would not compromise its judicial independence.
Thus, she said, their decisions should be respected by both branches of the government, considering that the judiciary is a coequal branch.
“We should be left alone to decide the fate of this institution without interference. We, more than anyone else will be affected if we decide wrongly a case which will affect the integrity and the fate of this institution,” De Castro said.
She said each justice has studied the Constitution meticulously as well as the law and evidence on record, thus, their decisions should be accorded with great respect.
“The other members of the coequal and independent branches of the government should understand that based on our constitutional order, the decisions reached by the justices of the Supreme Court whether unanimously or by majority vote must be respected,” she added.
De Castro’s fellow magistrates as well as the employees of the Court showed up during their so-called “Blue Monday” event which symbolized the return of peace and normalcy in the judiciary.
The event was initiated by the Supreme Court Employees Association (SCEA), the same group that led the “Black Friday” and “Red Monday” protests to pressure Sereno to resign from her post at the height of the impeachment proceedings against her.
De Castro earlier said she intends to restore collegiality in the SC which was ignored during the term of Sereno, who was accused of making decisions without the approval of the en banc.
“The Chief Justice is the first but equal nevertheless with each of the associate justices of the Court. No one can claim superiority over the others and we decide for cases whether judicial or administrative with one vote each,” she said.
SC spokesman resigns
Meanwhile, SC Public Information Office (PIO) head and spokesman Theodore Te has confirmed his resignation effective September 7. Te submitted his courtesy resignation to De Castro upon the latter’s assumption as chief magistrate.
Te’s designation is coterminous with Sereno, whose appointment as chief justice was nullified last May by her fellow magistrates through quo warranto proceedings.
“May I also, by these presents, respectfully tender my irrevocable resignation as Assistant Court Administrator and Chief of the Public Information Office, a post which is highly confidential and coterminous with the Chief Justice. I believe that Your Honor should be given a free hand to craft your own media policies and to appoint a person whom Your Honor believes could best implement those policies,” Te said in his resignation letter dated August 29.
Te’s resignation was accepted by De Castro, who designated lawyer Ma. Gleoresty Guerra, SC PIO deputy chief, as acting head of the office.