She’s no longer serene.
With some people still kicking her when she’s already down, ousted Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is in a fighting mood. She has dared President Rodrigo Duterte to resign, recalling he had once challenged her and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales that all three of them resign together.
This, even as Akbayan Party-list Rep. Tom Villarin also sought the impeachment of the eight associate justices who voted to remove Sereno via quo warranto proceedings. Vilarin was joined in the “impeach the eight” move by Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano and six other opposition solons at the House of Representatives.
Duterte also drew criticism for his discrimination against women. Gabriela the activist women’s group took Duterte to task for saying he does not want the next Ombudsman to be a woman. Gabriela asked the President why not, and why he feels threatened by women—citing his disdain for female officials like Sereno, Vice President Leni Robredo and his remark for soldiers to shoot captured women members of the New People’s Army in their private parts. Sorry, I can’t repeat nor quote what he said about where to shoot them. Only a foul-mouthed man can say what the President said.
On my part I don’t think Digong is really a misogynist or someone who hates women. There is a second Mrs. Duterte named Honeylet Avancena. Although they are not married, she appears at official functions and even travels with the President on his official trips abroad. Filipinos have accepted Honeylet as the official partner.
President Duterte has also appointed women to his Cabinet, most recently Bernadette Romulo—Puyat as Tourism secretary to replace the anomaly tainted Wanda Tulfo Teo. Prior to that he appointed Gina Lopez as secretary of Environment and Natural Resources. Gina, however, was rejected by the bicameral Commission on Appointments.
His latest appointment, that of the widowed
Romulo—Puyat, is making the buzz of the town. Hmmm. We wonder why. Stunningly beautiful and very intelligent, Ms. Berna Romulo-Puyat is a career government worker having been undersecretary for years at the Department of Agriculture. There has been no whiff of corruption around her. Perhaps, at the most, just a whiff of intoxicating designer perfume.
But going back to the controversial quo warranto case. Rep. Tom Vilarin said the eight SC justices deserve to be impeached for removing Sereno through quo warranto filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida. An impeachable official can only and should only be removed by impeachment as prescribed in the Constitution. The eight SC justices who should know their law, therefore, were culpable of violating the Constitution, Villarin said.
Solgen Calida, meanwhile, is facing demands for him to reveal his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. Untruthful SALN and non filing was one of the allegations for which Calida filed a quo warranto case that ousted Sereno. Indeed, what goes around, comes around. And remember that adage about not casting stones at another when you yourself live in a glass house?
A private citizen filed the case of graft and misconduct against Calida before the Office of the Ombudsman. In her two-page letter to the Ombudsman, the complainant businesswoman, Jocelyn Marie Acosta, said records from the Securities and Exchange Commission showed Calida owned 60 percent of shares of the Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency. The rest of the stocks of the company belonged to Calida’s family members.The Calida company has provided security to four state agencies since he joined the government in 2016.
What say you, Mr. Solicitor General?
The Senate today will hold a hearing on the quo warranto case to determine all its aspects and implications. Fourteen senators signed a resolution asking the Supreme Court to review its decision to remove Sereno via quo warranto. Many of them felt the quo warranto action hijacked from the Senate the sole right to try Sereno by impeachment .
“President Duterte has said that I’m now his enemy and I must be removed, “ said Sereno as she reiterated her claim the President was behind her ouster. She added that Solgen Calida filed the case at the President’s behest.
President Duterte has denied the former magistrate’s claim and said Sereno only has herself to blame for her ouster, adding Malacanang won’t respond anymore to Sereno’s verbal attacks.
This columnist is not pro-Sereno. I just don’t want to see the political powers-that-be to commit injustice to the former chief justice. I also do not accept women being discriminated upon. My sentiments are always for the underdog.
I don’t have anything personal against Digong. To be fair, I commend him for his action on our hapless overseas Filipino workers in Kuwait. Because of his resolve to protect them, he left no option for Kuwaiti authorities but to sign the Memorandum of Understanding guaranteeing our OFWs protection from abusive employers. The President dispatched Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to sign the MoU with their counterparts.