New chief justice vows judiciary will be independent

August 28, 2018

Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo - De Castro on Tuesday promised to maintain in the independence of the courts under her tenure as she formally assumed leadership of the Supreme Court.

De Castro said she does not see the need for her to prove her independence because she believes her appointment by President Rodrigo Duterte was based on merit.

"I have no problem maintaining the independence of the judiciary. Up to this time, I have not met the president. I haven't seen him or approached him, whether directly or through anybody. He appointed me without knowing me personally," she told reporters during her press conference.

According to De Castro, who is considered the first female chief justice following the nullification of the appointment of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, she does not expect Duterte to challenge the judiciary’s independence.

"I don't think the President will do anything negatively affect the independence of the judiciary," she said.

De Castro believes that Duterte respects the independence of the judiciary as proven by his appointments in the courts that restored meritocracy.

"We would like to express our appreciation that the President has that strong political will, to see to it that the merit system, which is the hallmark of public appointment in public service, is followed, and in upholding the time-honored tradition of seniority in the Supreme Court," she said.

De Castro, who will serve for less than two months before her mandatory retirement on October 8, lauded the President for respecting to the time-honored tradition of seniority in the judiciary.

"Seniority is important because who is senior will have vast experience as to the workings of the Court. It is expected that the senior members will have the respect of the rest of the members of the Court," she pointed out.

De Castro also appealed to her critics to "move on for the good of the judiciary" and just support judicial reform programs of the Supreme Court.

"Let us put the past behind us but of course, we should not forget the lessons that we learned in that event in the history of the judiciary," she said.

She urged critics to look at her track record in government service instead of looking at her promotion as a "reward" for her role in the ouster of Sereno.

"I think they should look at my record... I do not think that one incident would have been enough to elevate me to the highest position in the judiciary," she pointed out.

When asked if the impeachment complaint filed against her and six other magistrates before the House of Representatives would affect her duties as SC chief, De Castro replied: "I have no time to think about it, because you know as you mentioned, I have very few weeks to work here in the court, and I don’t want to be distracted by anything else, my schedule is full. I have so many activities set in the coming weeks, I do not wish to be distracted by that (impeachment)."

Besides, De Castro said she want her leadership in the judicial branch to be remembers as the one "that restored collegiality in the Supreme Court" and "which was able to institute several reforms in the judicial processes."

De Castro took oath of office before her colleagues in the Supreme Court before presiding over the regular session of the justices and the oral arguments on the case involving the Philippine government's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. DMS