Sereno hints of Duterte hand in her impeachment

MANILA, Philippines — Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno hinted that President Rodrigo Duterte might have had a hand in the impending impeachment proceeding against her.

In an interview with ANC's Headstart on Monday morning, Sereno recalled the time when the chief executive endorsed lawyer Larry Gadon's impeachment rap against her and urged her to resign.

Gadon, a vocal supporter of Duterte and a failed senatorial candidate of the Marcos-era Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party in 2016, accused the chief justice of committing culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, committing high crimes and betraying public trust.

On October 5, the House of Representative's Committee on Justice voted 25-2, saying there is sufficient ground to impeach Sereno. Following this, the committee would determine whether there is probable cause to impeach her.

Remarks on Sereno's 'lavish lifestyle'

Sereno recalled the chief executive's August 23 remark, where he lambasted an unnamed official for having a lavish lifestyle.

"That is, of course, everybody knows what he said during those moments and then I think at one time, he thought that Attorney Gadon's complaints regarding my extravagant lifestyle had some basis and then he kept quiet about it so let us just say that I understand that," Sereno said.

Duterte, speaking at the dinner for the Philippine Air Force Dragon Boat Team, said: "There is one official here in government, we looked into the travel (expenses), not from my department, not the executive department."

"(The official) booked a first-class plane trip and stayed in hotels with suites, one of them a presidential suite. Son of a b****," he added.

Gadon, in his impeachment complaint, accused the chief justice of flying business class in trips abroad and booking a suite in Boracay for one of the seminars she attended as part of the judiciary.

Sereno, in her reply filed before the House, said the presidential suite was a free upgrade and that the booking of business flights for trips abroad is stated in the Supreme Court Human Resource Manual.

Days after the president's remarks on Sereno's "lavish lifestyle," the Palace issued a statement distancing itself from the impeachment proceeding.

"So does he have a hand in this impeachment? Well, I go by his official pronouncement and I wish him success as a president but I hope he understands that checks and balances are very very important for any democracy," Sereno added.

Ombudsman, chief justice asked to resign

The chief justice also recalled the October 1 speech of Duterte where he "also asked me and the Ombudsman to resign at the same time."

The firebrand leader shunned the ombudsman, with whom he has had heated exchanges with, for her "selective justice" when a statement from the anti-graft body said that they will be investigating Duterte's alleged ill-gotten wealth.

"I challenge the two, we will go to Congress, in a simple ceremony, we sign the letter of resignation," Duterte, in a speech, said.

Sereno's legal team did not issue a statement on the president's pronouncement asking for her resignation.

The chief justice also denied having a "personal skirmish" with the chief executive but admitted to sending a letter to Duterte last August 2016 regarding the latter's naming of judges in his narco list.

The letter was one of the grounds Gadon used in his impeachment complaint. He said that Sereno betrayed the public trust when she "sent a strongly-worded but misplaced reply to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on the judges linked to drugs thereby inviting a head-on collision between the Presidency and the Judiciary."

But Sereno argued: "Basically I was really emphasizing the need to defend the institutions and to allow the institutions to conduct their own investigations of their errant members because the moment you announce the names of judges, you basically take them out of their functions."

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, on his first press briefing on November 6, said he wants Sereno to resign to "spare [the judiciary from] further damage."

Asked if Duterte believes the same, Roque said: "Of course, the president wants her removed, altogether, by all means. And, of course, like Andy Bautista, she could spare the court from further damage by resigning."

House majority members: Yes, president has influence but...

Also on Monday morning, members of the House majority, held a press conference on the impending impeachment proceeding against Sereno.

House Deputy Speakers Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia and Asosyan Sang Manguguman Nga Bisaya-OWA MAnguguma Inc. (AAMBIS-OWA) Rep. Sharon Garin asserted that the House would be "fair" in deliberating on the complaint.

The two representatives added that the panel would give "due course" to the embattled chief justice.

Garin admitted "there is a big influence of the president and the speaker (Pantaleon Alvarez)" but stressed that there are 290 congressmen who "have to say their opinion."

Garcia said: "We shall be taking up the affidavits and counter-affidavits, hearing the witnesses, they shall be examined and cross-examined, and the committee will decide whether there is probable cause [to impeach Sereno]."

On Wednesday, the House would resume its deliberation on Gadon's impeachment complaint against Sereno.

READ: Point by point: Sereno answers impeachment complaint