EDITORIAL - The main issue

As of early evening yesterday, the House of Representatives was holding a marathon session on whether or not to impeach Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. The nation’s chief magistrate, the first woman and the youngest ever to hold the post, had earlier in the day gone on a “wellness leave” allegedly under pressure from several of her colleagues in the Supreme Court.

Sereno is the third chief justice to face impeachment. Hilario Davide Jr. survived; Renato Corona did not. Lawmakers involved in the impeachment cases have shown that the process is largely political, with those in power simply wanting to pick their own chief magistrate, rather than an effort to improve the judicial system, which is what the country badly needs.

In the latest crisis to hit the Supreme Court, the House has gone far beyond the points raised in the original impeachment complaint in an obvious effort to send Sereno to the Senate for trial. Her impeachment has been a foregone conclusion almost from Day One of the formal House investigation. Whether she will go the way of Corona is uncertain.

Even more uncertain is whether another leadership change in the SC will lead to changes in the administration of justice. The country not only has a notoriously slow and unreliable judicial system, but is also gaining notoriety for having two types of justice: one for the poor, and the other for the rich and powerful who enjoy the best justice that money or influence can buy. The SC itself issues temporary restraining orders that can remain in place for years, and has opened the doors to perpetual litigation with its recent decisions.

Justice in this country, like economic growth, is not inclusive. The weakness of the judicial system has fueled insurgencies, aggravated poverty, driven away investors and undermined democracy. In the ongoing effort to replace Sereno, lawmakers must not lose sight of the need to address these weaknesses.