Sereno needs psychosocial help —Palace

Malacañang on Tuesday hit back at ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for insinuating that the continued firing of government officials accused of corruption may be just for show.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. even went as far as suggesting that Sereno needs mental health intervention, in an apparent reference to allegations she was unfit for office due to her poor psychiatric record while applying for the chief justice post in 2012.

Sereno, a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, weighed in on the chief executive's anti-corruption drive on Monday, noting that it should not end with the firing of officials.

She said the officials must face charges if only to avoid the perception that their dismissal could just be a form of publicity.

"Alam mo tingin ko kinakailangan ng psychosocial assistance itong chief justice na ito. Paano naman magiging for show 'yun nawawalan ng trabaho ang mga tao," Roque told reporters in Seoul.

"I understand the amount of pressure that she's subjected to. Take it easy, ma'am. Mahaba pa po itong laban na ito, but meanwhile let's be more circumspect," he added.

Duterte had repeatedly lamented that those who pushed him to run for President were the ones he had to fire. 

Roque maintained that it was the Office of the Ombudsman which has primary jurisdiction to probe and prosecute officials suspected to have been involved in graft and corruption. 

"Yung hindi pagsasampa ng kaso hindi naman katungkulan ng Presidente 'yun. Nasa Ombudsman 'yan at mahaba yung proseso bago maisampa ang kaso. Isa isa rin naman masasampahan ng kaso 'yan so bakit niya [Sereno] sasabihing hindi nasasampahan ng kaso," he said.

Sereno herself accused Duterte of having a hand in her removal on the ground of lack of eligibility.

Duterte, however, denied this as he vowed to resign if proven that he had involvement in her ouster. — MDM, GMA News