Palace on Sereno: Give her a chance

MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno must be given a chance to perform her duties as her appointment has received positive feedback from various sectors anyway, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang also said Malacañang would not want to speculate on the reason why some Supreme Court (SC) justices did not attend the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, which Sereno led.

“What’s clear is that the Supreme Court has a new leader, no one is questioning that; and I think, as I said before, the appointment of Justice Sereno was widely perceived to be a positive thing that caps the drama over the impeachment trial of former chief justice Renato Corona. So it’s a new slate and we hope that everybody will give Justice Sereno a chance to prove herself,” Carandang said.

The senior magistrates in the list of nominees for chief justice and those who were not chosen were notably absent in the public events for Sereno, the first of which was her oath-taking in Malacañang last month.

Carandang said speculations that the other justices snubbed Sereno was “not fair to the Supreme Court. It’s not fair to Justice Sereno.”

“Again, I don’t know. I will not call it a snub. I don’t know why they weren’t there. I haven’t spoken to the justices so I will not speculate as to why they were not there. I would not try to read anything into it at this point in time. What’s important is whether or not they can move on the reforms that are needed and sought by the public,” Carandang said.

“What’s important is that the work gets done,” he added.

Carandang said they also would not know if there was a rift among the justices that could affect reforms.

“I think that’s people reading things into the absence of this or that justice from this or that ceremony, and the justices themselves have not said anything. So I would not speculate, again, I will not speculate as to why this justice did not show up at the flag ceremony. And, again, what I think is important for us, the public, is whether or not the justice system becomes more responsive to the needs of the public as what Justice Sereno has said,” Carandang said.

“Again, I don’t know if there are differences. That’s just what you read. No one has actually said that there were differences… The public has certain expectations of the Supreme Court and that’s what they want to see happen,” he said.

Asked if it would be unfair to tell the justices to move on and be professional, Carandang said: “I think that’s the assumption that we’re making. We’re assuming that with the appointment of a new chief justice that the Supreme Court can get going with its business.”

Carandang also justified the long term for Sereno – 18 years – and that it should not be taken against her.

“If you have someone who will be there for a long time, that assures continuity rather than if you had someone who will stay there for one or two or three years. It doesn’t assure the kind of continuity in reform that you are looking for in the judiciary,” he said.

Sereno said she had asked her SC colleagues for understanding in accepting her appointment, which bypassed several senior justices.

She emphasized that her appointment was God’s will – “Ito po ay galing sa Panginoong Diyos lamang” – and was not the product of lobbying by politicians or business or economic interests.

Sen. Joker Arroyo, however, advised Sereno against heralding herself too much to be “infallible” in her judicial opinions as she serves the next 18 years of her term as chief magistrate.

“After the CJ expressed her belief that she was appointed by the Good Lord as the chief magistrate, I hope that the next step she will not think that she has now infallibility in her judicial opinions, that she speaks ex-cathedra because she has angelical status, she crowned herself,” Arroyo said in an interview.

“You know all of us, when we talk about ex-cathedra, we talk about infallibility. We hope she doesn’t think that way,” he said.

Like other critics, Arroyo was unable to accept Sereno’s statements that her appointment was “God’s will,” not a product of lobbying.

Arroyo refused to comment on the snub by seven justices during the flag-raising ceremony Monday. He said it was internal to the justices.

“That’s why I said I hope she doesn’t think of infallibility, isn’t it that when the Pope... talks about matters of faith and morals, you cannot challenge that,” Arroyo said. – Christina Mendez