Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno answers questions at a forum held at the University of the Philippines on Saturday, May 5, 2018. (Photo from an INQUIRER.net livestream)
Can the Supreme Court justices who had called Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s appointment “invalid” actually make a turn-around and admit that they were mistaken and say it was valid in the first place?
This was the question posed by Sereno during a forum called “The Mumshie on Fire: Speak Truth To Power” held at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City on Saturday.
Earlier, Sereno had sought the inhibition of Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza and Noel Tijam from the quo warranto petition filed against her by Solicitor General Jose Calida.
According to Sereno, these justices had “hatred in their hearts.” She suggested that the decision the SC would issue might be questionable if they would refuse to inhibit themselves.
“May poot sa kanilang puso. Paano magiging malinaw at patas ang kanilang ilalabas [na desisyon]?” the chief magistrate asked.
[There is rage in their hearts. How can their decision be clear and fair?]
“Kaya ba ng tao na nagsabi na sa House na invalid ang appointment ko, unjust ang appointment ko – kaya ba niyang baligtarin ang sarili niya at sabihin, magdesisyon: ‘Ay hindi, mali ako. Valid pala ang appointment niya’,” she said.
[Can someone who has testified at the House that my appointment was invalid and unjust reverse himself and say: ‘I was wrong. Her appointment was valid.]
Sereno then took aim at Associate Justice De Castro whom she had claimed told her: “I will never forgive you for accepting the chief justiceship.”
The chief magistrate insisted that only an inhibition would prove that De Castro was unbiased.
“Kung totoong sinabi niya na hindi naman daw niya ako sinabihan na hindi daw niya ako papatawarin na dahil ako ang na-appoint, mag-inhibit siya, ” she said. ‘Yun lang ho ang pruweba. Kasi bakit niya itutuloy itong theory niya na hindi ako dapat na-appoint dahil sa kulang ang dokumento, kahit mas marami pa ang kulang niya?”
[If it’s true that she never told me that she couldn’t forgive me for accepting my appointment, then she should inhibit herself. That’s the only proof. Why would she push her theory that I should not have been appointed for lack of documents, when she herself lacks more documents?]
Sereno added: “Kahit panandalian, akala nila magtatagumpay sila. Kahit akala pa nila, sa bandang huli, wala silang kapana-panalo. Gising na ang bayan.”
[If only for awhile, they may think they can win. But in the end, they can never win. The nation is already awake.] /atm