Court workers plead for neutrality amid resign Sereno calls
Some members of the Philippine Association of Court Employees (PACE), a nationwide organization of employees, questioned their leadership in joining the call for the resignation of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
PACE is among the organizations whose leaders joined the flag raising ceremony on Monday at the Supreme Court where the Sereno-resign call was made. Aside from PACE, joining the call for Sereno to resign include Philippine Judges Association (PJA), Supreme Court Employees Association (SCEA), Supreme Court Assembly of Lawyer Employees (SCALE) and the Sandiganbayan Employees Association (SEA).
“With all due respect, we should not take sides. Pare-pareho natin po silang mga boss. Dapat po sa gitna lang tayo kasi sobra na tayong katawa-tawa,” a court employee said in an open letter posted on PACE’s official Facebook page.
Another court employee asked why were they not consulted. The court employee said they should have been consulted in the upcoming PACE convention.
Its officers, in response to the sentiments of its members responded by saying “please be informed that this is a decision of your officers who you elected to said positions. The move was also relayed to the respective president of the lower court association.
“The manifesto is a plea for peace within the judiciary [which is now] being put [in] a bad light due to the brewing issues. Despite the current situation the judiciary is in, your officers are relentless in working for the ‘upliftment’ of each and everyone’s working conditions. There is no politics here. No sides taken except the side of the Judiciary as a whole.”
PACE is a national organization of court employees with over 25,000 members
Earlier, retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. issued a statement saying that Sereno should be given a chance to defend herself.
The Negros Occidental Regional Trial Court Judges Association. (NORTCJA) also refused to join the call for Sereno’s resignation.
The group said they do not wish to be part of the issues besetting the Supreme Court because their priority was to keep the courts open and serve the people./ac
READ: Negros Occidental RTC judges refuse to join call for Sereno to resign
READ: SC turmoil alarming – Davide
