Impeaching CJ Sereno

CJ Sereno is supposed to be on her wellness leave but she's doing rounds making speeches. Did she lie about her wellness leave? Was it a fake excuse that she is being paid for? In one speech that she made in a school in Pangasinan she appeared to liken herself to Captain America in the movie “The Avengers: Civil War,” to the protagonists of “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” and to the main character in the 1992 American film “A Few Good Men.” How pedestrian! Really? She's embarrassing. In the 23rd National Convention and Seminar of the Philippine Women Judges Association at the Manila Hotel on Thursday, March 8, 2018 she also made a speech taking a swipe at her detractors. It just so happened that Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro was also present at the convention and she responded to the Chief Justice's speech. Justice De Castro did not mince words in expressing her dismay over Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s speech. De Castro, who is also PWJA president, said Sereno should not have used the event to discuss her case, which she claims is “sub judice.” Under the jurisprudence, the sub judice rule restricts comments and disclosures pertaining to pending judicial proceedings. Does the CJ know the law or does she think the law doesn't apply to her. The arrogance of this CJ!!! She should be the prime example on following the laws of the court and the land.

With the issue of impeachment vs quo warranto to remove the Chief Justice, I have one question: How do you remove a Chief Justice if he/she commits a serious crime, say murder? If you choose impeachment to remove the CJ, he/she could get away with murder since the whole exercise is a political one. What if the Senate votes not to impeach him/her? Does that mean she's absolved of the crime? Can anybody file a criminal case against that person? If a case is filed and he/she is found guilty, can he/she still serve as Chief Justice behind bars or until he/she is executed? If quo warranto is chosen to oust him/her and the case succeeds in ousting the CJ, he/she can then face criminal charges like any Tom, Dick & Harry. I'm curious to know what the Supreme Court decision would be in their finite wisdom.

NATURAL!! It goes without saying. BULLSEYE! Alangan namang si Gloria na naman ang may kasalanan. Grow some ballz!

The Judicial and BAR Council needs to clean up their act. In the quo warranto case he is filing, the Solicitor General Jose Calida contends that "The constitution insists that a member of the judiciary must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence. Unfortunately, for respondent Sereno, she flunked the test of integrity when she failed to file more or less 10 SALNs."

The Judicial and Bar Council, which recommends candidates for chief justice to the president, recommended Sereno for the office despite her failure to submit her asset declarations between 1986 and 2006, when she served as a professor in the College of Law at the state-run University of the Philippines. The Judicial & Bar Council was misled by an erroneous report stating that Sereno has complete requirements, and that made them include Sereno in the final list of candidates for chief justice. The JBC really needs to make the requirements and qualifications for chief justice more intense or harder to meet or fill. Candidates for the position should understand that any examples of poor personal judgment, like not paying taxes or not filing of SALNs will quite likely be grounds for disqualification. The JBC must require candidates to disclose such matters as:

1. whether they've ever received treatment or counseling for alcohol or substance abuse

2. any mental or physical disabilities that might prevent them from carrying out judicial duties

3. all continuing legal education attended within the last five years

4. full citations to all published articles on legal matters

5. their own and their spouse's business interests

6. whether they've ever been personally involved in any litigation, disciplinary, or criminal matters

7. whether their professional conduct or ability has ever been criticized in a written opinion by a judge or tribunal, or the subject of a complaint before any disciplinary authority

8. whether their law licenses or right to practice law have ever been denied, revoked, or suspended

9. the names of judges and adversaries with knowledge of their character and abilities, including the cases which they and the candidates handled

10. any community service they've performed.

11. their litigation & trial judge experience (if no such experience exist candidate should be disqualified immediately)

12. their personal & professional relationships with the president, politicians, government officials, law firms & the JBC.

Yung mga inappoint ni PNoy parang they all lack experience as judges. How could they become good judges if they have no experience working behind the bench? All they were were academicians or professors of law. Aren't there more qualified sitting judges who can be elevated to the position of Supreme Court judges?

It's hard not to compare what is happening to Sereno now to what happened to CJ Corona when they impeached him. During Corona's impeachment trial, 'yellows' were calling on ex-CJ Corona to spare the country from a "tedious political exercise". But now, they're playing a different tune. The hypocrisy was strong on these personalities, but we already expected that from them...so no surprise there. From GRP's article "PNoy supporters pre-judge Corona impeachment trial"

Anak ng Tupas!!! Katas ba yan ng 'GANTI-ngpala ng Pwesidente'? I heard about that alleged mansion. Yan ba yung sa Xavierville? I was overjoyed when I found out Tupas lost the election. Hit the road, Jack, and doncha come back no more!

The HYPOCRISY of the senators who judged CJ Corona

SOURCES 1. JIM GOMEZ, A. (2018). Duterte government asks Supreme Court to expel chief justice. WTRF. Retrieved 6 March 2018, from http://www.wtrf.com/news/philippine-govt-asks-supreme-court-to-expel-chief-justice/1009754028

2. Supreme Court Politics: Sereno will lose, b. (2018). Supreme Court Politics: Sereno will lose, but Carpio will lose more. Thinking Pinoy. Retrieved 7 March 2018, from http://www.thinkingpinoy.net/2018/03/supreme-court-politics-sereno-will-lose.html

3. Some Senators who found Corona guilty committed worse crimes than what he was accused of - Get Real Post. (2012). Get Real Post. Retrieved 8 March 2018, from http://www.getrealphilippines.com/blog/2012/06/some-senators-who-found-corona-guilty-committed-worse-crimes-than-what-he-was-accused-of/

4. PNoy supporters pre-judge Corona impeachment trial - Get Real Post. (2012). Get Real Post. Retrieved 8 March 2018, from http://www.getrealphilippines.com/blog/2012/01/pnoy-supporters-pre-judge-corona-impeachment-trial/