Still a ‘happy’ Mother’s Day for ousted CJ

MANILA, Philippines — Maria Lourdes Sereno’s removal as chief justice will not dampen the celebration of Mother’s Day for her.

Moments after her colleagues at the Supreme Court (SC) voted to remove her as top magistrate, Sereno’s son Jose Lorenzo paid tribute to his mother and guaranteed that she will have a “happy” mother’s day.

“This was never about the position, but principle. When you hold fast onto principles, by its very nature the ones to whom these things are negotiable will respond. Viciously. Violently,” he said in a Facebook post on Friday.

“Today I stand in the right, though the Court says otherwise. Today I stand with CJ. I stand with my mother. You will have a happy mother’s day, mom, guaranteed,” he added.

The younger Sereno also noted the sacrifices that his mother has made in the past, describing her ouster from the SC as “just another bump in the road.”

He noted how Sereno gave up her jobs at a prestigious law firm and at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland to be with her family, giving it “all up with a smile.”

“Today, she has that same smile. It is the smile of a life well-lived, of loving sacrifice, and one of determination that the sun shines behind dim, cloudy skies, and that the clouds part eventually,” he said.

“It is the smile of a lawyer who gave up power, wealth and prestige time and again during her life without a second thought,” he added.

Sereno’s son said his mother is called on to do greater things after every sacrifice.

“I sleep with a smile, because tomorrow is a new day, because my mother always smiled in dark times, because they probably don’t know what I know,” he said.

“You can’t keep Meilou Sereno down. Been there, done that. Just another bump in the road,” he added.

Sereno has repeatedly expressed gratitude to her family for their support following the filing of the impeachment complaint and the quo warranto petition against her.