Sereno slams House for psychiatrist invite in impeach hearing

Deinla said the Chief Justice would not be able to handle this much stress and pressure if she was unfit for the top judiciary post. (Photo by Supreme Court of the Philippines)

MANILA— The camp of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno slammed the House of Representatives’ justice committee’s plan to invite the psychiatrist who reportedly gave her failing marks in the psychiatric test for the coming impeachment hearings against the top magistrate.

According to lawyer Josa Deinla, one of Sereno’s spokespersons, the Chief Justice’s detractors are bent to demolish her to the point of including issues that are clearly not offenses that would warrant her removal from office.

In light of the statement by Rep. Reynaldo Umali, who chairs the House Committee on Justice, that the hearings are a “mere formality,” this would appear to be part of the ongoing smear campaign against the Chief Justice, Deinla said.

“This is nothing but a mere publicity stunt with the intention to humiliate, insult, malign, ridicule and discredit the Chief Justice before the public,” Deinla said, noting that even the complainant himself, Larry Gadon, admitted in various press interviews that the issue on the psychological test was not an impeachable ground.

“Because they lack solid proof to support the fatally defective impeachment complaint filed by Atty. Gadon, they resort to publicity stunt and vicious vilification campaign.

The House justice committee has already invited the two psychologists hired by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) in 2012 to conduct the psychiatric exam on Sereno and other candidates to replace then Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was convicted by the Senate impeachment court.

The JBC is a constitutional body that screens applicants to vacant posts in the judiciary, from the Chief Justice down to trial court judges.

In his complaint, Gadon claimed that Sereno got a 4 out of 5 grade in her psychiatric exam. According to him, “an applicant to any position in the judiciary with a grade of 4 is unfit for the job.”

Deinla, however, said this baseless allegation could easily be demolished by Sereno’s solid background and track record.

She said that Sereno could not have served in the Supreme Court (SC) for seven years — two as Associate Justice and five as Chief Justice — if she was not psychologically fit.

“The Chief Justice has been in international and local conferences, presided so many en banc meetings, implemented various reforms, wrote so many opinions and decisions,” she pointed out. “Thousands of people she had met could attest to her fitness to lead the Supreme Court and the entire judicial branch.”

Deinla said the Chief Justice would not be able to handle this much stress and pressure if she was unfit for the top judiciary post.

“Can someone who is not strong and solid perform all these duties and at the same time institute reforms aimed at restoring the people’s trust and confidence in the judiciary?” Deinla asked.

In her verified answer filed through her lawyers led by Alex Poblador, Sereno said there was nothing in the JBC Rules that says an applicant to a position in the judiciary with a grade of 4 is unfit for the job.

Sereno added that the result of the psychological exam was used solely for evaluation. Even if it was true she got a score of 4 in the alleged evaluation, Sereno said it was “not an offense, let alone an impeachable one.”

Last year, the JBC denied Gadon’s request to furnish him a copy of the results of the psychological exam performed on Sereno.

In a letter responding to Gadon’s request, the JBC invoked confidentiality under Section 3, Rule 6 of the JBC Revised Rules.

The said rule provides that “results of the examination (psychological evaluation) are strictly confidential and are to be used solely by the Council for evaluation purposes only.”

On Monday, Umali made the announcement to invite the two psychologists hired by the Judicial and Bar Council who gave Sereno a rating of “4” from a scale of 1 to 5, with “5” being the lowest.

It was reported that Sereno, who was then the JBC chairman, sacked the two psychiatrists who gave her a poor grade when she applied for the top judicial post.

“The impeachment committee (likewise) intends to invite the psychiatrist who gave failing marks on the psychiatric or psychological makeup of the Chief Justice and who was allegedly fired or whose contract was not renewed upon the assumption (of office) of the Chief Justice,” Umali said.

The committee will also invite incumbent SC justices Mariano Del Castillo and Andres Reyes, retired SC Justice Adolf Azcuna, Court of Appeals Justice Remedios Salazar-Fernando, and other court officials.

The impeachment proceedings will resume on Wednesday.