FULL TEXT: SC commemorates 30th Constitution Day

MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Thursday commemorated the 30th anniversary of the ratification of the 1987 Constitution.

Sereno said the Supreme Court and the judiciary re-commit themselves to ensuring that courts will remain firm, fair and free.

Read the chief justice's full statement on Constitution Day:

On the occasion of Constitution Day, my colleagues on the Supreme Court and I join the people in commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the ratification of the 1987 Constitution.

Written in 111 days by a select, small group of 50 women and men comprising the 1986 Constitutional Commission, a document known as the 1986 draft Constitution was sent to the sovereign people for their judgment on February 2, 1987. Ratified by 16,622,111  affirmative votes (representing 76.30% of the total votes cast) as opposed to 4,953,375 negative votes (representing 22.74% of the total votes cast), the 1986 draft Constitution officially became The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.

More than simply a statement of principles and a collection of hopes and aspirations, the 1987 Constitution formed the backbone for the new democracy ushered in by the force of the Pople Power Revolution of 1986. Ending the revolutionary government put in place by then President Corazon C. Aquino's Proclamation No. 3, the 1987 Constitution also provided rich and fertile ground for the rule of law to be nourished, to grow, and to bear fruit. This it did with a renewed focus on human rights and civil liberties, an emphasis on sovereignty, and institutional protection for the independence of the judiciary.

We consider that only a Constitution, such as the 1987 Constitution, that acknowledges cultural and religious diversity but stresses unity, nourishes liberty but allows dissent, protects national security but emphasizes human rights and human dignity may allow us to have a government that is stable, a democracy that is vibrant, and a rule of law that is consistent.

Thirty years since its ratification, we in the Supreme Court and the judiciary today re-commit ourselves to the task of allowing our people to realize their hopes and aspirations of a society that is more just, humane, and equal by ensuring that the courts are firm, fair and free.