Palace on Sereno’s call for Duterte to quit: No comment

Malacañang on Thursday refused to comment on the call of ousted chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno  for President Rodrigo Duterte to step down.

“Well, ako po ay ayaw ko na po magkomento diyan at tingin ko po ang Presidente ayaw na ring magkomento (Well, I wouldn’t want to comment on that issue and I think the President wouldn’t want to comment as well),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said    in an interview on dzMM radio.

“Hayaan na po natin siya at hayaan na natin siyang manahimik bilang pribadong indibidwal (Let her be and let her lead a quiet life as a private individual),” Roque added.

Speaking at the Quo Vadis, Quo Warranto forum of    the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Sereno said Duterte should fulfill his promise to resign once proven he had a hand in her ouster.

Duterte in an interview Wednesday denied involvement in the removal of Sereno  and vowed to step down if proven he was behind the ouster of the former chief magistrate.

READ: Duterte: Prove that I’m involved in Sereno ouster and I’ll resign

“If there’s one congresswoman or congressman or a single justice who will say I talked to them, I can guarantee you I will resign,” the President told reporters.

But Sereno  recalled that the President in April declared her as her enemy and called for he ouster.

Sereno was ousted for allegedly failing to file statements of assets and liabilities. She has denied any wrongdoing, but Duterte and his officials have argued that she breached the law prior to becoming a Supreme Court judge and should not have been designated chief justice by Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, in 2012.

Sereno earned the ire of Duterte by speaking up for respect of law and human rights as he led a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has left thousands of suspects dead. With a report from the Associated Press