Duterte tells ‘ignorant,’ ‘dumb’ Sereno to resign

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in his arrival speech at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City on April 13, 2018, announces that his visit to China has yielded an estimated investment value of around $9.5-billion which could generate some 10,000 jobs for Filipinos. JOEY DALUMPINES/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Not giving up on his call to impeach the country’s top magistrate, President Rodrigo Duterte once again slammed Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, telling her to leave her position.

Upon his arrival at the Davao International Airport on Friday morning, April 13, a furious Duterte responded to Sereno’s latest statement against him saying that Duterte avoided her question on why Solicitor General Jose Calida was devoting resources of the government to oust her from her post through a quo warranto petition.

“Alam mo kung bakit (Do you know why) I castigated you in public? Ignorante ka eh (Because you are ignorant),” Duterte said in a press conference.

Duterte recalled that there was a time in 2016 where Sereno told judges, identified by the President on his drug list, not to surrender themselves to authorities unless there is a warrant of arrest.

“Sabi ko, ‘Hindi ko susundin ‘yan, Madame Justice kasi b*** ‘yang batas mo’ (I said, ‘I won’t follow that, Madame Justice because your law is stupid),” he added.

Duterte then asked if a crime was being committed in the presence of the military and the police, would they still need to produce a warrant from the top magistrate?

“Kaya sabi ko torpe ka (I said you are sheepish), that’s why should not be there. For a Chief Justice, hindi mo alam ‘yan? Bakit ka magbigay ng salita ng ganun? Kaya nagalit ako sa iyo (You don’t know that? Why would you give such word? That’s why I got angry at you) because even an ordinary flunker ng (of) law, alam ‘yan na (knows that) there are instances where the military and the police, and persons in authority, and civilians for that matter, walang koneksyon sa gobyerno (with no connection to the government) can make arrest, citizen’s arrest,” he stressed.

“Talagang dapat paalisin ka, noon pa. B*** ka na, p***** i** mo (You should have been removed from your post long ago. You are stupid, son of a b****),” he continued.

On Monday, the President asked the House of Representatives to speed up the impeachment process of Sereno.

However, he clarified on Friday that he is not directing the Congress but his partymates, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino- Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban).

“I am not directing Congress, I am not a member of Congress. I am directing my partymates,” he noted. “I am asking you to impeach Chief Justice.”

While ordering his partymates to heed his call, Duterte noted that the ball is still in the hands of the Supreme Court (SC), which held the oral arguments on the quo warranto plea lodged against Sereno.

Duterte also said that he did not find Sereno smart even though she holds the judiciary’s top post. If Sereno is clever, he stressed, no one would even try to go against her and that she would not make mistakes in her declarations.

“If you are that ignorant, you better go. You are just risking the country into a chaos. Umalis ka na. Tsaka hindi ka dapat diyan talaga (You should leave. You shouldn’t be there) in the first place. And that term of yours — until what? 2030? That’s — that’s too long for an ignorant Chief Justice,” the Chief Executive said.

“Tama na ‘yan (That’s enough). Give way. If I were you, I will resign,” he continued.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday, April 11, said members of the House of Representatives will approve the committee report and the articles of impeachment against the top magistrate within one to two weeks after session resumes in May 15.

He said at least one-third of House members are needed to approve the articles of impeachment and it will be brought to the Senate for trial.

If the case is elevated to the upper chamber, Sereno will be the second Chief Justice to face an impeachment trial following her predecessor, the late Renato Corona.