MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson said on Thursday that it is the country’s top judge who threatens the independence of the judiciary.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said this after a lawyers’ group called on the United Nations to take action on Duterte's tirades against the top magistrate.
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is currently fending off two moves to remove her from power: one is an ouster petition pending before her colleagues in the Supreme Court and the other is an impeachment case at the House of Representatives.
Duterte recently declared himself an enemy of Sereno’s and urged his allies in the House to impeach the chief magistrate, saying that she is bad for the country’s judiciary.
On Wednesday, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), National Union of People’s Lawyers, Alternative Law Groups, Ateneo Human Rights Center, Free Legal Assistance Group, Manananggol Laban sa EJKs and the International Pro Bono Alliance urged the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers to take action on Duterte’s statements they saw as a threat to the independence of the judicial branch of government.
“This is not about the president attacking the institution. It’s about the chief justice herself admitting to violating an existing law which will have an impact on the integrity of the court itself,” Roque said in a television interview.
“So if there’s a threat to the independence of the court, to the integrity of the court, it is the chief justice herself,” he stressed.
Roque said that the evidence used in the impeachment case against the chief magistrate came from a number of her colleagues at the Court, who testified before the House justice panel during marathon hearings on the complaint filed by Lorenzo Gadon, a lawyer with ties to allies of Duterte.
The presidential spokesperson said that the move by the lawyers’ groups might just result in a declaration and nothing more.
He also vowed to write the rapporteur and append a copy of the resolution signed by 13 justices of the High Court asking Sereno to take a leave of absence and the testimonies of some them before the House justice panel.
Roque said that Sereno would have difficulties mustering support since the three branches of government seem to be against her.
Sereno is accused of committing 27 acts that her accuser said that were enough to remove her from the post of Chief Justice.
Jose Calida, the solicitor general or top government lawyer, filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning Sereno’s legal hold on power.
The Philippine top judge has vowed to stand her ground and continue resisting efforts which she said were meant to undermine the judiciary.
READ: Sereno supporters ask ‘Biased 5’ to resign from SC