Sereno to take leave of absence from SC

FILE: Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (Photo by Supreme Court of the Philippines)

Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno will take a leave of absence from the high court, a report said.

According to House justice committee chair Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali, it was the SC en banc who decided that Sereno goes on leave during their session on Tuesday, where accusations in the impeachment complaint lodged against her have been lifted up and discussed by the justices.

The report added that the country’s top magistrate will go on “indefinite leave” starting on Thursday, March 1.

However, this initial report was disproved by Sereno’s camp, clarifying that the Chief Justice would merely take a “wellness leave” earlier than scheduled from the original date of March 12-23.

“Talagang naka-schedule ‘yan matagal na. Ina-advance lang niya… para makapag-prepare rin siya sa Senate trial. So may desisyon siya na i-advance yung naka-schedule na wellness leave sa March na a few weeks earlier (It had been scheduled for a long period of time. She is just advancing it so she can also prepare for the Senate trial. She arrived at the decision to advance wellness leave in March a few weeks earlier),” lawyer Jojo Lacanilao, Sereno’s spokesman, was quoted as saying in a Rappler report.

This decision concurred with the latest inquiry of the House of Representatives committee on Justice finding out probable cause to impeach the Chief Justice. The lower chamber is set to wrap up its deliberations on the impeachment case against Sereno after 17 hearing over five months.

In the congressional hearing on Tuesday, February 27, Umali chided Sereno and her spokespersons for disclosing information to media that she went on a wellness leave, instead of admitting that the SC en banc forced the Chief Justice to go on an indefinite leave.

“Ito mismo, sila nagsasabi ng kasinungalingan. ‘Yung wellness leave it was an indefinite leave (They are the ones who are telling lies. That wellness leave was actually an indefinite leave) … Majority, if not all of en banc head, forced her to go on leave,” Umali said.

“Iba ang lumalabas sa bibig niya o bibig ng mga spokespersons niya. Pati yata mga spokespersons niya nahawa na sa kasinungalingan (Sereno and her spokesmen are saying different things. Even her spokespersons are telling lies),” he added.

Umali, on the other hand, said that the committee will be voting next week if there is probable cause in the impeachment complaint.

“After this hearing the impeachment committee will be given time to carefully review the proceedings conducted since November — the testimonies given, the clarifications made,” he said.

The last hearing of the House eyes to discuss Sereno’s psychiatric test results when she applied as Chief Justice before the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).