Duterte: Sereno wasted the prestige of chief justice post

Former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno "wasted" the prestige of the position, which she held for nearly six years until her ouster this month, President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday.

"She wasted the prestige of the Chief Justice [position]. Sayang. Not everybody can be appointed as Chief Justice. It’s a gift from my God as I conceive him to be," Duterte told reporters in Panglao, Bohol.

Sereno had earned Duterte's ire by going against him on certain issues, including his accusing several judges of involvement in the drug trade; the burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani; his imposition and extension of martial law in Mindanao; and the rising death toll in his war on drugs.

Duterte railed against the then-chief justice, even saying he would file an impeachment complaint against her himself. An impeachment complaint against Sereno was being heard in the House of Representatives—where Duterte's allies are in the majority—when Solicitor-General Jose Calida filed a petition for quo warranto against Sereno at the Supreme Court.

Voting 8 to 6 on June 19, the Supreme Court stood pat on its May 11 ruling to kick Sereno out of the high tribunal, citing lack of integrity owing to incomplete submission of wealth declarations when she applied for the top judicial post in 2012.

The Judicial and Bar Council then opened the process of selecting Sereno's replacement, which under the 1987 Constitution has to be appointed by the President within 90 days from vacancy.

Following her exit from the judiciary, Sereno said she is open to the idea of seeking a Senate seat in the 2019 midterm polls, but clarified she may need more time in order to come to a decision.

Sereno also said she is thinking about joining cause-oriented groups and returning to the academe.

Duterte welcomed Sereno's possible senatorial bid.

"Eh di maganda, palit siya from chief justice to senator. Maganda, botohin ninyo," he said.

Sereno was supposed to end her term as top magistrate in 2030. — BM, GMA News