THE camp of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes A. Sereno on Wednesday said they were not surprised with the plunge in the satisfaction ratings of the embattled chief magistrate.
Lawyer Josa Deinla, a spokesman for Sereno, said the 13-point dip in her net public satisfaction ratings “is not surprising when there is a well-orchestrated and well-funded campaign against Chief Justice Sereno.”
“What is right is not always what’s popular,” she added.
Deinla expressed optimism that Sereno’s ratings would bounce back once she is given the opportunity to defend herself before the Senate, sitting as impeachment tribunal.
“The Chief Justice is optimistic that if she will be given her day in court—the Senate impeachment tribunal—she can defend herself and prove that all the allegations against her are baseless and wrong. The Filipino people, too, deserve to know the truth,” Sereno’s
spokesman said.
The embabbled Chief Justice is looking to hurdle two major bids to oust her from her post —first the quo warranto petition filed before the Supreme Court and second, the impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Earlier, President Duterte publicly threw his support on the bid to remove Sereno from her post after she accused him of having had a hand in the filing of the quo warranto petition against her.
The survey showed Sereno with a net rating swinging from +6 in December 2017 to -7 in March 2018.
Sereno’s net satisfaction rating, the same survey added, plunged due to declines of 27 points in Mindanao (-22 from +5), 13 points in the Visayas (-1 from +12), 11 points in Luzon (-2 from +9) and 3 points in Metro Manila (-10 from -7).