By Benjamin B. Pulta
The Daily Tribune
The Daily Tribune
7 senior SC justices snub flag-raising rites
President Aquino may have been inadvertently promoted to being a Supreme Deity by a grateful Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno.
Appearing before court employees at yesterday’s flag-raising ceremonies, her first as the newly appointed chief justice, Sereno called “the whole world” as the “witness” to her appointment by God.
“The whole word is witness that the appointment came only from God. This appointment is not man-made. This appointment is not the work of any political bloc. This has not been done though lobbying of business or economic interest. Only God knows the plan for the people,” she said, presumably to be implemented through her, as chief justice.
Sereno also pleaded with the court employees to ignore the “intrigues” surrounding her appointment by God.
The so called “intrigues” revolve around her reported low marks she obtained in her psychological-pschiatric testing, which low grade should have disqualified her from being in the shortlist, apart from the fact that she had not disclosed in her statement of assets and liabilities networth (SALn) her P25 million fees as legal researcher in the arbitration cases internationally between the Philippine government and Piatco and Fraport, over the controversy on the Ninoy International Airport Terminal 3 which was expropriated by the Philippine government. Yet she insists that it was God, and not anybody else who had appointed her to become the chief justice of the Supreme Court, although the reality is that it was Aquino who had appointed her, over the senior justices.
Sereno was a junior associate justice prior to her having been appointed by Aquino, which appointment, sources told the Tribune, was his and Sereno’s “slap in the face” of the senior justices.”
It did not hurt Sereno’s chances that she was widely confirmed as the Palace leak in a number of cases crucial for the administration and had written a dissenting opinion widely viewed as her endorsing a virtual windfall for the Hacienda Luisita Inc. in Tarlac whose owners include the family of the president, which amount for just compensation for the Cojuangco-Aquinos of P10 billion, presumably, as God ordained her to compute, thus benefitting, not the farmers or taxpayers, but the president and his relatives.
Sereno also called on her fellow SC justices as well as the employees for their help in rebuilding the judiciary.
The senior justices have been snubbing her from the day she took her oath of office.
Sereno urged them to just ignore the issues that have plagued the judiciary in the past months, most notably the impeachment of Corona. Playing cute, Sereno said: “Can we please ignore the intrigues?”
She assured the SC employees of her support amid the high court’s tight budget.
“I am here (as CJ) to look for solutions, including my colleagues in the Supreme Court. I appeal to all of you to trust me. We understand your problems and we wish to find the solution,” Sereno said in Tagalog.
“What I ask of you (court employees) is what I also ask the Filipino people: To give us a chance, give us time to solve the many problems of the judiciary,” she added.
Sereno said she is now working on solving the SC’s budget problem and has expressed confidence that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will finally boost the Court’s coffers.
“It looks like the talks I will have with the DBM looks promising. So may I ask all of you to pray for the talk with Department of Budget to be positive? There is no reason for me to fear that (the Palace and DBM) will be deaf to my pleas. I have no fear that they will be giving me the needed help,” she claimed.
Sereno hopes that with the issuance of a bigger budget for the judiciary, court employees will finally experience better working conditions.
“It is time for you to give a little speace and a little dignity to your offices, Morals are important for each of us in order to have a tidy office.”
“With all humility,” she said, “I come before you. I am your leader, but I am also your servant-leader.
“There are so many who do not know about us,” she continued. They (public) do not know the hardships in our tasks. They do not know the econdition or look of our courtrooms and the state of our offices. They do not know that many times we put out money from our own pockets so the work in courts continues” she stressed.
“They do not know the dangers faced by our family. It is time the Filipino people are made aware of us,” she stressed, Sereno also said she is excited to institute reforms in the judiciary, which has been plagued by problems such as lack of manpower and physical resources.
She reassured SC employees of her support amid the high court’s tight budget.
Sereno also assured her fellow magistrates and court personnel that her leadership at the SC will be marked by sincere service that cannot be influenced.
The new Chief Justice said that she can’t wait to buckle down to work and institute the much-needed reforms in the judiciary.
One of her top priorities, she disclosed was to solve the SC’s budgetary woes, which she said have been affecting the judiciary.
At least seven of the most senior justices of the Supreme Court were markedly absent during the first flag raising ceremony of Sereno.
Those who were abbsent were Associate Justices Antonio Carpio, Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Presbitero Velasco, Arturo Brion, Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin. Associate Justice Martin Villarama, was also a no-show.
Only Associate Justices Jose Catrall Mendoza, Jose Perez, Roberto Abad, Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Bienvenido Reyes attended the flag-raising ceremony.
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