‘I do not serve Presidents’ – Sereno

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MANILA – “I do not serve Presidents, excuse me …. That’s unforgivable.” These are the words of the country’s top magistrate, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Serena made the statement on Thursday when she was introduced during a press forum as a chief justice who could “probably serve three more Presidents,” with his term ending until 2030.

But when asked if the word “endure” is a better term than “serve,” Sereno smiled and said, “Well, I don’t necessarily have to endure anyone, either.

The Supreme Court was recently placed under fire after striking down the administration’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, on talks about amending the constitution to keep the powers of the constitution in check, which President Aquino had been open about, Sereno said it was “something that is completely political.”

“If I believe the court has been too powerful, I would have been the first to say I would not have decided on [the] case,” referring to the controversial DAP ruling.

“I fully believe that the court has been within its bounds,” she added.

Addressing the public’s dissatisfaction with the country’s current judicial sytem, Sereno said:

“We are in a position to right now address the public’s dissatisfaction with a justice system brought about by a perception that justice is slow and in favor of those who have the material wherewithals in life,” Sereno said in her opening remarks.

“If we can get to that point, people’s anger against the justice system will not be so intense and people will believe that there can be fairness in life,” she said.