SC Justice Sereno joins race for SC chief

Supreme Court Justice Lourdes Sereno. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The first Supreme Court Associate Justice appointed by President Benigno Aquino III  has joined the race for the search for the new Chief Justice.

Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, the third most junior justice in the Supreme Court, formally accepted her nomination Monday.

Aside from Sereno, there are five other Supreme Court justices who will vie for the Chief Justice post, namely Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Arturo Brion and Roberto Abad.

Another most senior high court justice who was automatically nominated for the Chief Justice post, Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, declined the nomination and will sit as Chair of the Judicial and Bar Council.

Sereno is believed to be another strong candidate for the top judicial post, aside from Justice Secretary Leila De Lima.

In December last year, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the President “needs someone of the likes of Maylou Sereno.”

Sereno was invited to testify in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona to shed light on her dissenting opinion including the circumstances surrounding the issuance of a restraining order in favor of former President Gloria Arroyo and the suppression of the promulgation of her dissenting opinion originally submitted on Dec. 2, 2011.

Sereno is the youngest appointed justice in the Supreme Court and will be considered the longest serving justice of the Supreme Court. Sereno just turned 52 Monday.

Monday is the last day of nomination. The JBC will start screening the applicants on July 3.