Despite reported rift with Carpio, Sereno says 'everything is working well' in SC

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Wednesday insisted that the 15-man Supreme Court is united behind her leadership despite her reported rift with Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. “Everyone is, of course, united,” Sereno told reporters in a rare ambush interview during the groundbreaking of the new building of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Pasig. “Everything is working well.” She, however, did not answer questions regarding her working relationship with Carpio, who recently accused her of violating the Constitution for hiring a professor of the University of the Philippines (UP) as her staff head. According to a report on the Manila Times, Carpio, in a two-page letter to Sereno dated January 31, 2013, said the appointment of lawyer Solomon Lumba as chief justice staff head 2 is illegal and unconstitutional. Lumba has reportedly claimed that he resigned as professor at the UP College of Law so that he could work at the high court as judicial staff head 2. But Carpio said despite Lumba's resignation, his assumption in the Office of the Chief Justice remains “void and ineffective” because the resignation does not affect the irregularity committed on his appointment. Carpio was among the senior justices who do not attend the Monday flag-raising ceremony at the Supreme Court presided by Sereno. The senior justices also overturned a ruling singularly signed by Sereno creating a regional court administration office in Cebu without final discussions by the en banc. Although no justice has made a public statement against a colleague, court observers said that Sereno’s appointment may have ruffled the feathers of more senior justices who have been deprived of their chances to head the high court. At age 52, Sereno was the second youngest magistrate to serve the high court. She will serve the court for 18 years or until 2030, until her mandatory retirement at age 70. In her speech at the IBP event, Sereno again insisted on the unity among the justices despite the differences in their opinion. “We are united in our desire to serve our country. And because of this, we have already set in motion building blocks of reform but these have to be set up patiently brick by brick. We have done it quietly outside the eye of the public glare,” she said. Sereno said that she has learned to focus on her work at leading the judiciary instead of minding the adverse reports on her leadership in the media. “There is always strength in focus, and you must not be distracted, regardless of those who would ask you to look to the left or look to the right,” she said. — KBK, GMA News