Judges, court employees to Chief Justice: Quit

MANILA, Philippines — It was another “red Monday” at the Supreme Court yesterday as court personnel continued denouncing Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno whose immediate resignation they demanded in a joint resolution read after the flag- raising ceremony. The protesting employees showed up in red to dramatize their protest.

There was no pressure from higher-ups or from magistrates when court employees and officials issued the manifesto, spokesmen of the groups said.

“This is an initiative of the different associations (of court personnel). As early as September 2017, the employees had withdrawn their support (for the Chief Justice),” Erwin Oscon, Supreme Court Employees Association (SCEA) president told cheering court employees, after reading the manifesto jointly signed with the Philippine Judges Association (PJA), Supreme Court Assembly of Lawyer Employees, Sandiganbayan Employees’ Association (SEA) and Philippine Association of Court Employees.

In their joint manifesto, the anti-Sereno groups said her leadership had been causing “demoralization” among court officials and personnel.

They asked the embattled SC chief – on an indefinite leave of absence – to step down from her post “not only for her own good but for the good of our beloved institution, the judiciary.”

“With all humility we ask you, our beloved Chief Justice, to immediately vacate your position and give way to the next leader to give the entire judiciary the opportunity to move forward and get back to order,” Oscon said, reading from the manifesto.

The groups stressed that the impeachment proceedings against Sereno had placed the “entire judiciary in disrepute, thereby affecting the honor and integrity” of the magistrates and the judges.

They lamented how officials “have been pitted against each other resulting in a distressing atmosphere” and that the court “can no longer endure a prolonged environment of this kind.”

“There has been demoralization among our ranks. Employees who have been in service for a long time have not been promoted. That’s one of the reasons why we did not support her at the outset of the impeachment issue,” Oscon told reporters in an interview.

Sereno supporters holding a rally outside the gates of the SC. Edd Gumban

He said they have other issues that have not been addressed by Sereno since she assumed the top judicial post in 2012. He did not discuss them, citing sub judice rule due to the pending quo warranto petition filed by the solicitor general against her before the SC.

“The real reason behind this are the acts and policies of the Chief Justice which really (adversely) affected the employees,” he stressed.

Oscon expressed doubt if Sereno could still muster support within the judiciary should she hurdle the efforts to remove her from office through the impeachment process and Calida’s quo warranto pleading.

PJA president Felix Reyes, for his part, explained that their 1,200-strong group joined the call for Sereno’s resignation after “looking at the big picture and what’s best for all of us.”

“The dispute is now here in our own house,” he explained in a separate interview.

But in a chance interview with reporters, SEA president Michael Balon said that while his group signed the manifesto, members opted to lie low at the flag ceremony.

“Syempre natatakot din sila (Of course they are afraid),” Balon said, referring to the SEA members.

Balon said that while there was no formal voting held or resolution passed, the officers of the association consulted its members, and a majority of them agreed to join the call for Sereno’s resignation.

He clarified that the SEA members did not individually sign the manifesto, and that he signed on the association’s behalf. The SEA is composed of 206 rank-and-file employees of the anti-graft court.

Balon clarified that the SEA does not represent the higher-ranking officials such as the justices and the clerks of court.

Asked why the SEA decided to join the call for Sereno’s resignation, Balon said members are well aware of the allegations against the chief justice.

“They are monitoring the House hearings... That’s where their sentiments are coming from. We want her to step down to save the court employees from possible harassment,” Balon said in Filipino.

Palace’s appeal

At Malacañang, presidential spokesman Harry Roque called on the Chief Justice to consider the sentiments of all stakeholders including groups demanding her resignation.

“I guess it’s up to her. We left the decision to her. No one can force her to resign if she doesn’t want. However, I think the sentiment even of the lower court judges has been made known, and we can only hope that the Chief Justice will take all these sentiments into consideration,” Roque said in a press briefing.

“So far, her colleagues have asked her to go on indefinite leave and the lower court judges have asked her to resign. We can only ask her to consider all these calls from various stakeholders within the courts itself,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, for his part, lamented the SC has become politicized.

He said SC magistrates of the past rarely spoke in public, especially on critical legal and constitutional matters. – Alexis Romero, Paolo Romero, Elizabeth Marcelo