Respect SC, Chief Justice Teresita de Castro tells co-equal branches

MANILA, Philippines — Three days after taking her oath as Chief Justice, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro is seeking respect from other branches of government – and to be left alone in deciding the fate of the highest court.

“We demand respect from the other co-equal branches of the government,” she said yesterday in her speech at the first flag-raising ceremony she led as chief magistrate.

“The other members of the co-equal and independent branches of the government should understand that based on our constitutional order, the decisions reached by the justices of the Supreme Court, whether unanimously or by majority vote, must be respected,” she said.

De Castro explained that the judicial branch should be allowed to perform its constitutional duties without external influence.

“We should be left alone to decide the fate of this institution without interference. We, more than anyone else, will be affected if we decide wrongly a case which will affect the integrity and the fate of this institution and each of the justices,” she pointed out.

“People outside would like to judge us by what they see or hear from afar but it is us, the justices and officials of the Court, who know what is happening inside the Supreme Court and we should be left alone,” she said.

The SC chief made the statement as she and six other magistrates – Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr. and Alexander Gesmundo – face impeachment proceedings before the House of Representatives over their decision to oust Maria Lourdes Sereno from the top judicial post merely through quo warranto.

Also yesterday, De Castro rallied court officials and personnel to move forward from a “turbulent” episode in the high court’s history. She was apparently referring to the controversial ouster of Sereno.

“The first lesson that we learned from this is with the support of the officials and employees of the court, we can surmount every obstacle because you are standing solidly behind the justices, the justices were able to weather the storm that was besetting the court during those times, so we thank you for this,” she told the court personnel.

“Your support spelled a difference in the understanding of what the Supreme Court is aspiring for during the time that we went through the turbulent months here in the court,” De Castro pointed out.

The SC chief also vowed to restore collegiality in the SC.

“The chief justice is the first but equal nevertheless with each of the associate justices of the court. No one can claim superiority over the others and we decide on cases, whether judicial or administrative, with one vote each,” she maintained.

De Castro was welcomed by colleagues and court employees in blue dresses and shirts during the event dubbed as “Blue Monday” to signify the “return to peace” in the judiciary after Sereno’s ouster.

SC spokesman replaced

Meanwhile, De Castro has also accepted the resignation of law professor Theodore Te as SC spokesman.

Te confirmed filing his resignation as spokesman and chief of the SC public information office. He officially steps down as spokesman on Sept. 7.

“I believe that Your Honor should be given a free hand to craft your own media policies and to appoint a person whom Your Honor believes could best implement those policies,” read his resignation letter dated Aug. 29.

De Castro has designated long-time deputy chief of SC PIO, lawyer Ma. Victoria Gleoresty Guerra, as Te’s replacement.

Guerra had served as acting spokesperson for the Court in 2012 after the ouster of the late former chief justice Renato Corona.

Related video: