Duterte’s tirades vs Sereno not attack to judiciary, Palace says

April 19, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte's harsh statement against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was not an attack to the judiciary, Malacanang said on Wednesday.

"The president’s rebuke of the chief justice must therefore be taken as a dislike of the Chief Justice and not an attack to the judiciary or an affront to judicial independence," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

He was reacting to the call of the various lawyer groups for the United Nations rapporteur to investigate Duterte's threat against Sereno.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines, National Union of People’s Lawyers, Alternative Law Groups, Ateneo Human Rights Center, Free Legal Assistance Group, Manananggol Laban sa EJKs, and the International Pro Bono Alliance raised concern over Duterte's call with his allies in Congress to fast-track the impeachment of Sereno and for the Solicitor General to ensure that the high court would immediately act on the quo warranto petition against the chief magistrate.

Duterte has declared Sereno as his "enemy."

Roque explained that the call to impeach Sereno did not originate from the Executive.

"Let the facts speak for themselves: Some justices of the Supreme Court appeared in the House of Representatives and testified against the chief justice during the Committee on Justice impeachment hearings," he said.

He noted that the chief justice was made to go on indefinite leave by her colleagues "to protect the integrity and reputation of the court after it became clear that the CJ failed to file some of her annual SALN (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth)."

He added that the SC allowed the oral arguments for the quo warranto petition.

"For the longest time, the president has been silent about the issue, notwithstanding the allegations made by CJ Sereno against the chief executive in many public fora saying the latter is behind her impeachment. The president’s statement on the CJ impeachment is thus a reaction to these accusations," Roque stressed. Celerina Monte/DMS