Supreme Court employees call for another 'Red Monday'

MANILA, Philippines — A group of Supreme Court employees called on their colleagues to wear red next Monday, May 21, to show their support for the magistrates who voted to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

In a statement on Saturday, the Supreme Court Employees Association urged their peers to join in another “Red Monday” event at Monday morning’s flag-raising ceremony.

“Let’s show again our united desire for a free and one Supreme Court,” SCEA said.

Voting 8-6 in a special en banc session, the high tribunal only took two months to decide on Solicitor General Jose Calida's “quo warranto” petition, which challenged the legality of Sereno's appointment mainly on the grounds of missing wealth declarations.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has made no secret of his dislike for Sereno, earlier called the country’s first female chief justice his “enemy” who must be removed from the high tribunal.

Meanwhile, some have expressed concern that the landmark ruling paves the way for a constitutional crisis, wherein the high court has assumed a function the fundamental law grants solely to Congress—to oust the chief justice through impeachment proceedings.

Those who voted to unseat Sereno were Associate Justices Noel Tijam, Teresita De Castro, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Samuel Martires, Andres Reyes Jr., Alexander Gesmundo and Diosdado Peralta.

To recall, Sereno earlier asked six justices who testified against her in the impeachment proceeding in the House of Representatives to recuse themselves from the quo warranto case.

The six high court judges also actively participated in March’s “Red Monday” protest in the SC that called for Sereno’s resignation.

Sereno is the first top magistrate to be ousted by her peers and the second chief justice to lose the seat in the high court after her predecessor, the late Renato Corona, was impeached for not disclosing to the public his wealth.

The ousted chief justice’s camp already said that they would appeal the ruling.