Sereno won’t comment on Alvarez’s remarks on probable cause to remove her from post

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Thursday declined to comment on Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez's view that developments in the impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives would show there is probable cause to remove her from office.

"I have not yet heard him say anything so I cannot comment. So let's just leave it at that," Sereno said when asked during the open discussion in a women's forum at St. Scholastica's College in Manila.

Alvarez, in an interview with CNN Philippines, said there is truth to the allegations against Sereno and that there is probable cause for her to be ousted.

The House leader cited the allegation that she acted unilaterally on SC matters, thus undermining the collegial nature of the 15-member high court.

Alvarez had also repeatedly challenged Sereno to refute the allegations in the impeachment complaint filed against her by lawyer Lorenzo "Larry" Gadon by appearing at the proceedings before the House justice committee instead of making pronouncements before the public.

During the event, Sereno talked about the role of women in power, noting they serve as "guiding post that people can look forward to."

"I think women understand instinctively when a side is fair and when it is not. They know intuitively how to object, and this ability of women to object to unfair treatment is what has captured the imagination of many countries in the world why in the Philippines there are so many strong women," she said.

Sereno, however, warned that the "suppression of voices of one group of women is the suppression of the voices of all other women."

She also advised the youth not to allow their idealism to be clamped down.

“No one has the right to tell you to stop you to be idealistic,” Sereno said. "If we had earlier frustrated you, if we have shown you we have been less than what we should have been, forgive us, but please do a better job." —NB, GMA News