Supreme Court Justice Lourdes Sereno. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Newly-appointed Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno pays tribute to Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, saying she will follow his lead by exercising good governance.
“My thoughts are with the family of Secretary Robredo and I can assure everyone that the good governance he showed will also be here at the Supreme Court,” Sereno said. She was appointed to the Supreme Court on August 2010.
In a statement, Sereno also vowed for an independent Supreme Court under her wing.
“I assure our countrymen that I will keep my oath of office faithfully to the end of my term,” said Sereno, whose stint as Chief Justice will span three Presidents after President Benigno Aquino III.
The first lady Chief Justice of the Philippines, during her interview with the Judicial and Bar Council, said that a Sereno Court “does not like a personalistic court but a community-shared vision and shared values.”
Sereno said the Constitution will be her “north star.”
“Implementing it is not only an exercise but it’s an agreement that can make us a united nation. There’d be respect for the judiciary and respect for the Constitution. Everything has to be in the context of national conversation so that no one is left behind,” she said.
“The constitution is the north star and the constitution will be followed,” she added.
President Benigno Aquino appointed Sereno as associate justice in August 2010.