Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Tuesday he knew Chief Justice Teresita Leondardo-de Castro as a woman of intelligence and integrity, but urged her just the same to inhibit herself from participating in any political case to squelch speculation on why she was appointed.
“All questions, issues, and doubts surrounding the appointment of Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, particularly with regard to her impartiality, can only be addressed if the newly appointed chief magistrate refrains from participating in any political case pending before the Court,” Drilon said.
“I encourage her to inhibit [herself] from politically charged cases in order to uphold the integrity of the decisions that the Supreme Court may make during her short tenure,” Drilon added.
Drilon said he has known De Castro for over two decades and has known her to be a woman of intelligence and integrity.
“Whether she can do as much, set a trend, or influence the Supreme Court, during her five weeks tenure as Chief Justice is something that is difficult to expect given such limitation,” he added.
Drilon also said President Duterte’s statement that De Castro was appointed according to seniority meant Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio would be the next chief justice.
De Castro will retire on Oct. 8 when she reaches the age of 70, the retiring age for the chief lustice.
Carpio had earlier turned down a nomination to replace Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, who was ousted though a quo warranto petition.
De Castro on Tuesday promised to maintain judicial independence under her tenure as she formally assumed her leadership of the judiciary.
De Castro said she does not see the need for her to prove her independence from the appointing authority because she believes that her appointment by President Duterte was based on meritocracy.
“I have no problem maintaining the independence of the judiciary. Up to this time, I have not met the President. I haven’t seen him or approached him, whether directly or through anybody. He appointed me without knowing me personally,” she told reporters during her first press conference as top magistrate.
De Castro, who is considered the first female chief justice following the nullification of Sereno’s appointment, said she does not expect the President to challenge the judiciary’s independence.
“We would like to express our appreciation that the President has that strong political will, to see to it that the merit system, which is the hallmark of public appointment in public service, is followed, and in upholding the time-honored tradition of seniority in the Supreme Court,” she said.
De Castro also appealed to her critics to “move on for the good of the judiciary” and just support judicial reform programs of the Supreme Court.
“Let us put the past behind us but of course, we should not forget the lessons that we learned,” she said.
She also urged her critics to look at her track record in government service instead of looking at her promotion as a “reward” for her role in Sereno’s ouster.
When asked if the impeachment complaint filed against her and six other magistrates before the House of Representatives would affect her duties as SC chief, De Castro replied: “I have no time to think about it, because you know as you mentioned, I have very few weeks to work here in the court, and I don’t want to be distracted by anything else, my schedule is full. I have so many activities set in the coming weeks, I do not wish to be distracted by that.”
Besides, De Castro said she wants her leadership in the judicial branch to be remembered as the one “that restored collegiality in the Supreme Court” and “which was able to institute several reforms in the judicial processes.”
De Castro took her oath of office before her colleagues in the Supreme Court before presiding over the regular session of the justices and the oral arguments on the case involving the Philippine government’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.
De Castro thanked her colleagues, some of whom like Justices Lucas Bersamin, Diosdado Peralta and Andres Reyes Jr., also vied for the chief justice post for their support to her.
“The SC is working as Justice Antonio Carpio mentioned before, it’s working normally. I am happy that I have the support of all my colleagues who were all present in my first day of work and I appreciate their warm support and welcome to me,” she said.
SC rank-and-file employees also welcomed De Castro with flowers and balloons to show their support when she arrived at 8;30 a.m. A tarpaulin bearing congratulatory message to De Castro was also hung in front of the SC building in Padre Faura, Manila.
However, outside the SC, a small group of protesters called for De Castro’s removal by impeachment.
They also criticized the President’s decision to appoint her to the top judicial post.
In the House, congressional leaders promised “fair and fast” deliberations on the impeachment complaint against De Castro and six other associate justices.
“The House leadership will conduct a fair and fast hearing on this matter,” House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said at a news conference.
The House committee on justice is all set to begin the impeachment process against the seven justices on Sept. 4 after the House in plenary session Tuesday referred the impeachment complaint filed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman to the justice panel, chaired by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Doy Leachon.
“This [impeachment deliberations] will not affect the agenda of the House. Budget hearings will go on, the impeachment hearing will go on, [there will be] regular work of the House, regular sessions will go on,” Andaya said.
Andaya also said it would be “unwise” for the House to invite De Castro to appear before the impeachment hearing, given the short time she has to work as chief justice.
Lagman and several other opposition lawmakers filed an impeachment complaint against De Castro, and Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Andres Reyes, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, and Alexander Gesmundo.
The opposition lawmakers said the seven SC justices allegedly committed a culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust when they acted and ruled in favor of the quo warranto petition filed against Sereno by Solicitor General Jose Calida.
They said the quo warranto petition was illegal—even though the Supreme Court said otherwise—and that the only way to oust Sereno was through an impeachment.
Lagman also said he welcome’s Leachon’s move to consolidate the impeachment complaints.
The Palace, meanwhile, expressed confidence that the impeachment complaints would be dismissed.
“It is clear that the basis used by the complainants against the seven magistrates will be dismissed because of an utter lack of merit,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a Palace press briefing Tuesday afternoon.
“The Constitution states that the Supreme Court has jurisdiction over quo warranto petitions. So, I don’t understand why this is an impeachable offense,” he said.
