Sereno stands firm: I will not resign

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

Answering the call of judges and court employees, embattled Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Monday, March 12, stood firm on her decision not to leave her post.

“I will not resign,” Sereno said during a gathering of supporters at Bahay Kalinaw at the University of the Philippines (UP).

“I am determined to wage, ’til the logical end, this battle started by those who seek to undermine the Constitution and the judiciary. I am resolute in carrying on the good and noble fight for judicial independence,” she added.

The country’s top magistrate explained the implications of resignation, saying that if she would resign from her position, that would only mean that she is not standing by the rule of law.

“I do not make choices in life on the basis of the easier option but what is the right thing to do. And without the slightest doubt, the right thing to do is to fight this impeachment to the end,” she stressed.

“Resigning from my post as Chief Justice will only serve to erode the independence of the Supreme Court and embolden those who demand a subservient judiciary,” she added.

On Monday morning, judges, as well as employees of the high court, urged Sereno to resign amid impeachment proceedings in the legislature.

Supreme Court Employee Association (SCEA) President Erwin Oscon said that it was “timely” and “proper” for Sereno to make the “sacrifice” of leaving the top judge post. He added that the pending proceedings have “put the entire judiciary in disrepute, thereby affecting the honor and integrity of its justices, judges, officials have pitted against each other resulting in a distressing atmosphere.”

The embattled Chief Justice, however, defended that she did not even start any trouble.

“Hindi po ako ang nagsimula ng gulo. As I said last week, sinimulan nila ito. Bakit ayaw nilang tapusin? Tandaan po natin, hindi pa ako nakapagsisimulang magbigay ng aking panig (I did not start the trouble. As I said last week, they started this. Why don’t they want to end this? Let us all remember, I haven’t even started to giving my side),” Sereno said.

Sereno also said that if she gives in to resignation calls, the same situation may happen to others. She added that she has to fight this for the sake of the country so that this injustice will not be repeated.

“Kung ako ay bibitiw, mauulit na naman ito sa susunod na biktima…Ipagtatagpi ang mga tsismis na napulot sa dyaryo, gagawan ng kuwento, paiigtingan ang intriga at hayun, may impeachment na (If I resign, this will happen again to the next victim…they will connect all hearsays they got in the newspaper, make an intense story, and then an impeachment will follow),” the Chief Justice said.

“Kung nagawa nila sa akin ito, na punong mahistrado, magagawa nila ito sa inyong lahat. Lalong-lalo na kung wala kayong padrino, o kapit sa poder (If they can do this to a top magistrate, they can do this to all of you, especially if you are not supported by someone in power),” she added.

Meanwhile, the Palace also urged Sereno to “consider” the sentiments of judges and employees of the judiciary.

“The decision to resign is one to be made by the Chief Justice alone. And at most, what we are going to say [is] we hope she takes into consideration the sentiments of everyone, all the stakeholders,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in press conference on Monday.

“So far, her colleagues have asked her to go on indefinite leave and the lower court judges have asked her to resign. We can only ask her to consider all these calls from various stakeholders within the court itself,” he added.

Sereno earlier said that she was looking forward to her impeachment trial at the Senate as she is counting on the upper chamber for fairness. She added that this trial will also give her a chance to defend herself and dismiss allegations against her.