Sereno to political leaders: Give me my day at the Senate

FILE: Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno took her standpoint as she once again refuses to follow calls for her to resign. (PNA photo)

A day after taking her indefinite leave from the high court, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno took her standpoint as she once again refuses to follow calls for her to resign.

“Give me my day in the Senate impeachment court, or admit that there is no probable cause,” Sereno said in a speech before judges, lawyers, and law students at the University of the Baguio.

During her speech, the Chief Justice, who made her first public appearance since the beginning of her leave, questioned her accusers why there is a need to call for her resignation if they are certain of their evidence that she has done “a harvest of sins.”

“If they were so sure of their evidence even to the point of perjuring themselves with baseless accusations that they can prove that I committed a harvest of sins against the people, why not bring it to the Senate?” she said.

Instead, she said, there is “this additional terribly injurious spectacle where courts and Judicial and Bar Council officials are being threatened with administrative and criminal cases.”

Lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, Sereno’s impeachment complainant, earlier gave an ultimatum to the country’s top magistrate, saying that she only has until March 1 to resign from her post or he would file criminal charges against some of her personnel in the Supreme Court (SC).

“If Chief Justice Sereno does not resign by March 1, 2018, I will file the following cases against the following officials in the following days,” Gadon said.

The top magistrate, however, maintained that she does not hold anyone the duty to resign.

“I owe the people the duty to tell my story,” she added.

Sereno said that she asked only one thing from the political leaders; that is to give her day at the Senate impeachment court. She even urged everyone to “respect the impeachment process” allowing it to take the course.

The Chief Justice is accused of violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, corruption, and other high crimes. In spite of this, Sereno remains firm in fighting for judicial independence.

“I am hopeful that after the impeachment trial, days of renewal for the Supreme Court can still be forged, united by the common desire to serve our people and protect their constitutional rights especially in these troubled times,” she said.

On Wednesday, the Chief Justice said she took a leave of absence to prepare for her impeachment trial before the Senate.

“I need to prepare to fight the accusations against me fairly and squarely, with honor, dignity and grace,” Sereno said in a speech before the members of the association of the clerks of court of the Regional Trial Courts at Manila Hotel.

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, February 27, where accusations in the impeachment complaint lodged against her have been lifted up and discussed by the justices.

Umali added 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.