Chief Justice slams gov’t for taking “shortcuts”

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno took a swipe against the Duterte administration for putting the country in a situation where those who seem to show a contradiction in the government are “harassed, intimidated and persecuted.”

“The current state of the nation is one where perceived enemies of the dominant order are considered fair game for harassment, intimidation and persecution…” Sereno said in a forum on women’s rights at St. Scholastica’s College Manila.

She added that the state laws are violated as the government practice “shortcuts.”

“Shortcuts are preferred over adherence to constitutional guarantees of human rights, including denial of due process,” Sereno said.

Sereno also said that the Constitution urges Filipinos to “strengthen the institutions of democracy, transparency and accountability and not to weaken them” and this should move the nation to be cautious with their actions.

She stressed that the “impromptu, extemporized, unprepared and unthought-out plans of action that run contrary to the structured way the Constitution designed accountability, harm our nation’s long-term future.

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“We have structures and procedures for transparency and accountability. We should do it properly,” Sereno said.

Moreover, Sereno believes that in time, Filipinos will “internalize the painstaking steps that must be taken to truly build a nation” as they get exposed to understanding the Constitution.

(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 03/ 08/18)