On Independence Day, Sereno urges Filipinos to fight for rights

Former Philippine chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Friday, Independence Day, urged Filipinos to fight for their rights.

"Democracy does not suddenly establish itself," Sereno said in a statement as the Philippines celebrates its 122nd year of independence from Spanish rule.

"I encourage my fellow citizens, especially the youth, to continue fighting for the rights of our people so we might truly become 'the sovereign Filipino people' envisioned by the Constitution, who in full faith implore the 'aid of Almighty God' to help us establish a 'just and humane society,' she said.

Independence Day on Friday was marked with protests over the anti-terrorism bill, the government's COVID-19 response, and China's incursions in the West Philippine Sea.

Police arrested 16 youth protesters in Iligan City.

Sereno earlier cautioned against the anti-terrorism bill, which is now being studied by officials in Malacanang and by the Department of Justice after it hurdled Congress.

The former chief justice said it was "the most unfortunate of times" to pass the bill until questions on its impact on Filipinos' freedoms are asked and clearly answered.

The Supreme Court ousted Sereno from her post in 2018 over her alleged failure to file a number of mandatory asset declarations when she was a university professor, before she was a magistrate.

Sereno has since become an opposition figure to the Duterte administration. —LDF, GMA News