De Castro on netizens' 'bitter' remark: I forgive them

MANILA, Philippines — Justices of the Supreme Court would rather put to rest the issue on the quo warranto petition that ousted former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Three SC justices faced the Judicial and Bar Council on Wednesday for the public interview for the chief justice post.

Associate Justice Teresita De Castro—whose rift with Sereno landed her on headlines—stressed before the JBC that she has a harmonious relationship with the former chief justice.

“I may have raised objections to some of her official actions, but it was done through proper procedure. It never affected our relationship,” De Castro said.

Sereno has accused De Castro and five other justices of being prejudiced against her.

De Castro and Sereno both applied for the chief justice post in 2012, but former President Benigno Aquino III appointed Sereno, who was several years junior to De Castro.

When De Castro attended the impeachment proceeding against Sereno as a resource person, social media users accused the justice of harboring “bitterness.”

But De Castro just dismissed the remarks.

“I don’t care to respond to that because the people who have those comments do not know anything. They have not dealt with me at all,” De Castro said.

“So I forgive them because they do not know what they are doing,” the justice added.

READ: As retirement nears, De Castro says SC reform is still possible

'Delicadeza'

The JBC also raised the issue of “delicadeza” during the public interview.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio cited “delicadeza” in declining his nominations to the chief justice post. He said that he does not want to benefit from the quo warranto ruling that, in his view, should have been junked by the high court.

Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, who was first to face the panel on Wednesday, pointed out that there are no definite rules on “ delicadeza.”

READ: Bersamin asserts judicial independence during JBC interview

Bersamin and De Castro voted to grant the quo warranto petition.

“Even if I joined the issue on the quo warranto... If I inhibit from the application, then those who favored [Sereno] should have also inhibited (from applying),” Bersamin said.

“I must insist that if they feel so much that I have no delicadeza, they should also ask whoever voted in favor (of Sereno). Unfortunately, not one of those who voted in favor of Sereno joined,” he added in a mix of Filipino and English.

“I do not need to dignify that with a longer answer,” Bersamin closed.

Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr., for his part, said they should move on from the issue.

“We have to admit that happened. We just have to cooperate and move on and just work harder,” Reyes said.

“The new chief justice [would] just have to work hard to gain back the respect [to] the SC,” he added.

READ: Hard work will augment lack of experience at SC — Reyes