Rapporteur troubled by Sereno's ouster can ‘go to hell’ —Duterte

President Rodrigo Duterte said late Saturday night that UN Special Rapporteur Diego García-Sayán, who had expressed concern over the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, had no business intefering in Philippine internal matters and he could thus "go to hell."

"He is not a special person, and I do not recognize his rapporteur title," declared Duterte, who was at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, on his way to an official visit to South Korea. "Tell him not to interfere in the affairs of my country."

Sayán had said earlier that Duterte's pronouncements that Sereno was her enemy appeared to be "directly related" to the Supreme Court's May 11 decision that ousted the then chief justice from her  post.

“The decision of the Supreme Court was issued two days after the President of the Philippines publicly threatened the Chief Justice by saying that she was his enemy and that she should be removed from her job or resign,” García-Sayán had said.

“The unprecedented decision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines seems directly related to the threats made against the Chief Justice in relation to her professional activities in defence of the independence of the judiciary,” he said.

However, Duterte insisted that he had nothing to do with the actions taken against Sereno, and that it was the latter's declarations to the contrary that had triggered his outburst.

"Oo, nagalit ako sa kanya (Sereno)," the President admitted. "Sinabi ko na sa kanya, 'Wala akong pakialam diyan sa quo warranto'... Kaya ako nagputok. Sinabi ko na sa 'yo, p*tang ina ka, na wala akong pakialam diyan."

Duterte also claimed that he had nothing to do with the quo warranto petition Solicitor General Jose Calida had filed against Sereno, and that Calida took this action on his own.

Duterte explained that Calida had wanted Sereno removed from office because the then chief justice was against the burial of the former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Both Calida and Marcos were Ilocanos, according to Duterte. The late dictator hailed from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. — DVM/KG, GMA News