Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sere no.INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LYN RILLON
President Rodrigo Duterte called Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno “ignorant” and “dumb” as he stepped up his attacks against the chief magistrate who took an indefinite leave to prepare for her impeachment defense.
A fuming Duterte hit back at Sereno on Friday when asked about Sereno’s statement saying Duterte evaded her question on why it was Solicitor General Jose Calida who filed a quo warranto petition against her.
“Alam mo kung bakit I castigated you in public? Ignorante ka e,” Duterte, apparently addressing to Sereno, said during a press briefing upon his arrival at the Davao International Airport from Hong Kong.
The President recalled how Sereno in 2016 told judges mentioned on his drug list not to surrender to authorities until the issuance of a warrant of arrest against them.
READ: Sereno to judges: Don’t surrender to cops sans arrest warrant
“So sabi ko, ‘torpe ka.’ That’s why you shouldn’t be there. For a chief justice, hindi mo alam yan?” Duterte said, stressing that a warrantless arrest is allowed by law.
“Bakit ka magbigay ng salita na ganoon? Kaya nagalit ako sa iyo kasi even an ordinary flunker of law alam yan na there are instances where the military and police and persons in authority and civilians for that matter na walang connection sa gobyerno can make arrest, citizen’s arrest,” he added.
He said the chief justice should have been removed from her post long ago.
“Dapat paalisin ka noon pa. Bobo ka,” he said.
Duterte had earlier asked Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and members of the House of Representative to rush the impeachment case against Sereno.
READ: Duterte declares war vs Duterte
“I am not directing Congress. I am not a member of Congress. I am directing my partymates,” he said in explaining his earlier remarks.
He said the fate of Sereno was still in the hands of the Supreme Court, which held oral arguments on the quo warranto petition against her on Tuesday.