THE pressure for Maria Lourdes A. Sereno to step down as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (SC) is expected to intensify, as groups of judges, lawyers and court employees vowed to join protests calling for the chief magistrate’s resignation even before the impeachment trial against her begins.
Groups lending their voices for the call include the Philippine Judges Association, SC Employees Association, SC Assembly of Lawyer Employees, Sandiganbayan Employees Association and the Philippine Association of Court Employees. These groups said they will issue a one-page joint statement urging Sereno to resign.
The statement will be read during the flag-raising ceremonies in the SC and appellate and lower courts nationwide this morning (Monday). Court employees are expected to hold another Red Monday protest to show their support for Sereno’s ouster, the joint statement said.
“We, the entire force of the Judiciary, which includes judges, officials and court employees under your leadership, are pleading you, our beloved Chief Justice Maria Lourdes A. Sereno, to do the timely and necessary sacrifice for the institution that you gave so much time and love in these past years,” read the statement written in Filipino. “We call on you, for the sake of our people, to step down from your position as Chief Justice.”
The groups said the allegations against Sereno in the impeachment proceedings “have put the entire Judiciary in disrepute, thereby affecting the honor and integrity of its justices, judges, officials and rank-and-file personnel.”
They also noted how the issues surrounding Sereno have caused tension among the 15-man High Tribunal.
“Court officials have been pitted against each other resulting in a distressing atmosphere. This is aggravated by the fact that the Court en banc has taken cognizance of the petition for quo warranto and ordered her to file her comment thereto, instead of dismissing it outright.”
The joint statement said the SC “can no longer endure a prolonged environment of this kind.”
“Its officials and personnel, truly dedicated and conscientious public servants, cannot go through another set of hearings and go against each other again at the Senate,” they explained
The groups are urging Sereno to “not allow history to judge you as the first woman Chief Justice, and the youngest at that, to be removed from office.”
Judges and court employees nationwide are expected to wear red in today’s flag raising to show their support for Sereno’s resignation.
Sereno has repeatedly turned down calls for her to resign, pleading that she should be allowed to defend herself during the impeachment trial before the Senate.
Sereno was earlier forced by her fellow magistrates to go on indefinite leave pending her impeachment trial to insulate the Judiciary against the impeachment proceedings against her in Congress, which is a political process.
The SC has also acted on the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose C. Calida last week, seeking ouster of Sereno from her post due to invalid appointment as chief justice in 2012. It ordered her to answer the petition in 10 days before deciding whether to give due course.
Sereno is being accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust in the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon.
Gadon claimed that Sereno did not declare in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) the “exorbitant lawyer’s fees” of $745,000 (about P37 million).
The impeachment complainant said the issue of SALN declaration is the strongest case presented against Sereno. Gadon also alleged that Sereno committed corruption when she, among other things, used public funds to: finance her extravagant and lavish lifestyle by ordering the purchase of a brand-new luxurious Toyota Land Cruiser 2017 model as her personal vehicle, amounting to more than P5 million, and stay in opulent hotels when attending conferences in the country and abroad.
As to the alleged acts constituting high crimes, Gadon accused Sereno, among other things, of obstruction of justice by ordering the Muntinlupa judges not to issue warrants of arrest against Sen. Leila M. de Lima in connection with her drug cases and failure to report her high attorney’s fees and pay the appropriate taxes therefor, among others.
On betrayal of public trust, the complaint alleged that, among other things, Sereno: hired an information-technology consultant with an excessive compensation without public bidding; sent a strongly worded but misplaced reply to President Duterte on the judges linked to drugs thereby inviting a head-on collision between the presidency and the Judiciary; and prevented the CA justices to undertake a courtesy call on Duterte.