Sereno wants evil ‘exorcised’ at SC

Embattled Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno sees the need for better group dynamics at the Supreme Court and to ‘exorcise some evil that may have entered their surroundings.’

“Siguro magretreat kami kasama kaparian, mga obispo at pastor natin at mag exorcise kung ano pong kademonyohan ang nakapasok sa aming paligid [We should probably have a retreat together with the bishops and the pastors and exorcise some evil that may have entered our surroundings],” she added.

The chief magistrate also insisted that it is not an impeachable offense to have enemies at the office.

“Kahit nagkakaroon kami ng tampuhan sa loob, hindi po ito impeachable…Hindi po impeachable magkaroon ng kaaway [Even if we have misunderstandings, it is not impeachable…it is not impeachable if you have an enemy],” Sereno insisted.

“Hindi po impeachable kung naiinis sila saiyo kasi hindi ka mahusay making [It’s not impeachable if they are just annoyed because you are not a good listener],” she added.

The friction among Supreme Court justices is being made public with the months-long impeachment trial at the House of Representatives and with some of Sereno’s colleagues testifying against her.

Sereno admitted that there have been conflicts among Supreme Court justices, but it did not stop them from instituting reforms in the Judiciary.

She claimed that disposition of cases is now much faster as automated hearings are in place in the lower courts. The continuous trial system is also making it faster for innocent detainees to be released.

“If your heart is dedicated to serving the country, we can overcome conflicts,” Sereno said. /ee

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