The call keeps getting louder.
By this time it would seem the only reason for the Chief
Justice not to hear it , is because she does not want to hear any of it. The thirteen
justices of the Supreme Court who urged her to take an indefinite leave to
preserve the integrity of the Supreme Court would have been enough to make top
magistrate Maria Lourdes think about resigning o re-assess if she still have
the respect of her colleagues- but this to fell on deaf ear.
But now the call can never be ignored, the voices of the
various organizations in the judiciary are just to loud for Sereno not to
notice. *
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| Supreme Court employees wore red shirts for Monday's flag ceremony urging Chief Justice Sereno to resign. (photo credit Eagle News) |
The Philippine
Judges Association (PJA), Supreme Court Employees Association (SCEA), Supreme
Court Assembly of Lawyer Employees (SCALE), Philippine Association of Court
Employees (PACE) and the Sandiganbayan Employees Association (SEA), in a joint
statement urges Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to step down to save the
judiciary from “disrepute that affects the honor and integrity of justices,
judges, and court employees.”
"Kami
ang buong puwersa ng Hudikatura, na kinabibilangan ng mga huwes, opiysal at mga
kawani sa ilalim ng inyong pamamahala, ay nakikiusap sa Inyo, mahal naming
Punong Mahistrado, Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno pang Gawin ang na ang napapanahon
at nararapat na sakripisyo para sa ating Hudikatura, ang Institusyon na inyong
pinaglalaanan ng panahon at pagmamahal ng mga nakalipas na taon. Kami po ay
nananawagan, para na rin po sa kapakanan ng buong Sambayanang Pilipino, na kayo
ay bumaba na sa puwesto bilang Punong Mahistrado o Chief Justice (We, the entire force of the
judiciary, which includes judges, officials and court employees under your
leadership, are pleading you, our beloved Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, to
do the timely and necessary sacrifice for the institution that you gave so much
time and love in these past year. We are calling for the benefit of the entire
Filipino community, to step down to your post as Chief Justice),” said the
joint statement read by SCEA President Erwin Ocson. *
Ocson, PJA President and Marikina RTC Judge Felix Reyes, SCALE President Atty. Rene B. Enciso, PACE President Atty. Maria Fe O. Maloloy-On and SEA President Mike Balon, are alll signatory of the joint statement.
“The pending impeachment proceedings in recent months have put the entire judiciary in disrepute, thereby affecting the honor and integrity of its justices, judges, officials have pitted against each other resulting in a distressing atmosphere. This is aggravated by the fact that the Court en banc has taken cognizance of the petition for quo warrants and ordered her to file her comment thereto, instead of dismissing it outright. The Court can no longer endure a prolonged environment of this kind. Its officials and personnel, truly dedicated and conscientious public servants, cannot go through another set of hearings and go against each other again in the Senate,” they noted.
Also in the statement they urged the Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to save herself from being judged "as the first woman Chief Justice, and the youngest at that, to be removed from office".
PJA is SC-authorized association of regional trial court (RTC) judges with about 1,200 incumbent members nationwide while PACE is a nationwide organization of court employees. *
In today flag ceremony, judges and court employees nationwide wore red to show their support for Sereno’s resignation.
Sereno defies call to resign
The Chief Justice maintained that she would not bow down to pressure and step down as demanded by her accusers and critics.
“The oath I have taken is to protect the Constitution, the independence of the judiciary and to take a stand for every judge whose freedom of conscience I have consistently done my best to defend,” Sereno stressed. “All kinds of lies, threats, harassment and bullying have been thrown my way. But I will not yield.”
Pending the impeachment trial proper in the Senate, Sereno urged her colleagues to “dispel all thoughts and impulses of malice and ill will for they serve no good purpose and bring nothing but shame.”
“We must denounce gossiping and unfounded innuendos and try our best to preserve our dignity as members of the judiciary. And, true to our oath as judges, we do not judge anyone until all the evidence is in.”
Last week (Thursday), the House committee on justice chaired by Representative Rey Umali overwhelmingly voted, 38-2, in finding probable cause to impeach Sereno.
The impeachment complaint contains four grounds, including corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes. *
Attorney Lorenzo Gadon was the one who initiated the complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, in his complaint he alleges that the top magistrate committed acts that is culpable of violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, corruption, and other high crimes- hence she should be impeached.
Report from PNA
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