Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (Photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday urged Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to “voluntarily resign” and spare the judiciary “from any further damage” even as President Rodrigo Duterte himself wanted her removed from office “by all means.”
Roque said Sereno should follow the example of Commission on Elections Chair Andres Bautista, who resigned last month after an impeachment complaint against him was filed in Congress.
“I call upon Chief Justice Sereno to really consider resigning if only to spare the institution from any further damage,” Roque told a press briefing.
“As a senior lawyer, as a law professor, I do not think the judiciary can survive another decision that would remove an incumbent Chief Justice,” he said.
Sereno, who was accused by Mr. Duterte of conspiring with the opposition to oust him, also has a pending impeachment complaint in House of Representatives.
She faces charges of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust for allegedly using public funds to finance her supposed lavish lifestyle; misdeclaring her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth; falsifying court documents; and manipulating a Judicial and Bar Council list for personal and political reasons.
Never been an option
But the camp of the Chief Justice quickly shunned Malacañang’s call for her to step down, reiterating her previous position that such a possibility “has never been an option.”
“The (Chief Justice) needs to face the impeachment proceeding precisely to preserve the dignity and independence of both the Supreme Court and the Office of the Chief Justice,” lawyer Carlo Cruz, Sereno’s spokesperson, said.
Defend rule of law
Addressing an international gathering of justices, judges and court workers in Taguig City on Monday, Sereno called on the members of the judiciary to come together in defending the rule of law and human rights.
“Allow me to remind everyone that the world has been seeing in many regions a resurgence of political forces threatening and harassing the independence of the judiciary,” Sereno told participants of the 8th International Conference on the Training of the Judiciary held at the Shangri-La Hotel.
“The judiciary must never forget the value of each human being while never forgetting that the community has interests that must be protected by reasonable restraints on the activities of individuals.”
Meanwhile, an opposition lawmaker said Roque’s call for Sereno’s resignation “clearly shows Malacañang’s manipulative hand” in the ongoing impeachment proceedings against her.
“It begs the question, Why is Malacañang in a hurry to boot her out? Is there a sinister plot to make the Supreme Court and other democratic institutions beholden to it?” Akbayan Rep. Tomasito Villarin said in a statement.