CJ post 'reward' for anti-Sereno vote? Look at my record, De Castro says

New Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro on Tuesday spoke out against criticism that her appointment as head of the Philippine judiciary was a "reward" for her vote to oust her predecessor, Maria Lourdes Sereno.

De Castro, one of the eight justices who formed the majority verdict to expel Sereno for an eligibility issue, said it's hard to believe that only "one incident" could have catapulted her to the seat she will occupy for a little over a month.

"I think people should just look at my track record, my long service in the judiciary, and I don't think that one incident like you mentioned would have been enough for me to be elevated to this highest position in the judiciary," she said during her first press conference as top judge.

She cited a 45-year-long government career that has taken her from a law clerk position at the SC when she was a young lawyer, to the Department of Justice, and the Sandiganbayan, where she led as presiding justice prior to her appointment in the Supreme Court in 2007.

To her critics, De Castro said: "I think we should all move on and work together for the good of our judiciary." 

"Let's put the past behind us but of course we should not forget the lessons that we learned in that event in the history of the judiciary," she added.

When prompted, De Castro also agreed with Ombudsman Samuel Martires' assessment that she is the first female Philippine chief justice. "Technically, I think he is correct," she said.

The May 11 decision that ousted Sereno found her to be a "de facto" officer who is ineligible to hold the position of chief justice "for lack of a constitutional qualification."

Sereno was booted out of the SC for an alleged failure to file some required asset declarations.

De Castro took her oath before the SC en banc on Tuesday morning and presided over the full court session for the first time after that.

She will also preside over the oral arguments on the cases questioning the legality of the Philippines' withdrawal of its membership from the International Criminal Court starting 2 p.m. —KBK, GMA News