Sereno refers to ‘resurgence of forces harassing’ judiciary’s independence

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno keynotes the opening ceremony of the 8th International Conference on the Training of the Judiciary (IOJT)./Photo from SC PIO

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Monday stressed on the importance of strengthening the judiciary with the “resurgence of political forces threatening and harassing the independence of the judiciary.”

The Chief Justice has a pending impeachment complaint in Congress. She is accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust.

The cases alleged that Sereno, among other things, used public funds to finance her supposed lavish lifestyle; misdeclared her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth; falsified court documents; and manipulated the shortlist of the Judicial and Bar Council in the Sandiganbayan for personal and political reasons.

The impeachment complaint pushed through in Congress following President Rodrigo Duterte’s accusation that Sereno has been conspiring with the “yellows” to oust him.

Tension between Duterte and Sereno started when Duterte ordered the executive branch not to follow the Chief Justice and said he would declare martial law. The threat came after Sereno said that making public the names of judges allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade could lead to a constitutional crisis.

Speaking before the 8th International Conference on the Training of the Judiciary (IOJT), Sereno said “the world has been seeing in many regions a resurgence of political forces threatening and harassing the independence of the judiciary.”

As in the past, she said “kings would demand that courts would pronounce their acts as legal, not because kings did not have the physical force to impose their will, but rather, that kings wanted their acts to have the force of moral legitimacy, a legitimacy that many times was perceived to come from courts of law.”

Sereno said “judiciary had a measure of credibility that politicians wanted to appropriate, for whatever political purpose they deemed important.”

The Chief Justice stressed that it is important to buttress the judiciary to be able to discharge its mandate despite the forces undermining its independence.

“The delicate balance required to properly evaluate conflicting positions and competing interests can only be sustained by a wise and mature judiciary that is unafraid to face the challenges of increasingly changing landscapes,” Sereno said. /je