Sereno maintains she’s not resigning: ‘Nakakahiya po kay Andres Bonifacio o Emilio Jacinto’

Embattled Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno maintained on Thursday that she is not going to resign amid the impeachment complaint she is facing before the House of Representatives.

Addressing a youth forum at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, Sereno said she has never done any malicious acts as magistrate of the highest court of the land.

“Kaya’t ang gusto kong pag-usapan ngayon ay kung bakit ako nagdesisyon bagama’t several times na po ako sinabihan, quietly and in public, na mag-resign,” Sereno said.

“Sabi ko po lahat ng ginawa ko simula pa noong ako’y na-appoint na associate justice [in 2010] ay wala po ni isang bahid ng malisya. Lahat po ginawa ko nang tapat ang aking tungkulin. I went over and beyond the normal work load. Isinaalang- alang ko at hiningi ko ang tulong ng Diyos at umayos naman po ang maraming reporma sa judiciary,” she added.

Sereno expressed concern about the message a resignation will bring to the youth, as she referred to the lives of the country’s revolutionary forefathers, Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto.

Both men fought for the nation’s freedom at such a young age.

“Kung ako po ay ipinapaalis dahil lamang po sa agenda, poot, galit o anumang emotion o anumang reason na wala naman po akong ginagawa, paano na lang ang mga kabataan? Ano po ang mensaheng ipinapaaabot ng aking pagbibitiw? Ako po ba ay isang taong natatakot? Isa po ba akong taong dahil sa panggigipit ay bibigay?” Sereno said.

“Kung ganun po ang aking ehemplo eh di nakakahiya po ako kay Ka Andres Bonifacio who at the age of 20 plus led the first Philippine revolution o yung kanyang sidekick at brains na si Emilio Jacinto who was also 17 or 18 when he led also the triumvirate in the Katipunan. Nakakahiya ho sa kabataan kung ako ay bibigay,” she said.

‘Sacred trust from God’

The top magistrate said she was fighting the ongoing attempt to unseat her not because of “an ego issue,” adding she considered her post as a “sacred trust from God.”

“I was hoping that against a tide, isang alon ng mga nakikita na nating kasamaan, people will still believe in God, in goodness, in beauty, in wisdom, in honor, in dignity, in the right. I must make a stand because this is really a fight for what is good,” she said.

According to Sereno, the young people will never want a future where they see nothing “but violence, coarse language, foul charges, baseless accusations, and lies upon lies.”

“People cannot keep on dreaming in an environment where there is darkness. People cannot have that kind of environment. There will only be nightmares. And my role is not to add to your nightmares. My role is to say again and again that there is hope; there is hope for our country. God is good. God is there,” she said.

Apparently comparing her impeachment dilemma to being “in the middle of a storm,” Sereno said she is fighting for those who were “unjustly accused and maligned.”

Sereno also advised women to be confident and not allow themselves to be bullied.

“Find a way to make your message felt by these people. Sometimes you have to confront them. For all women, don’t allow yourself to be bullied. You should not be ashamed that you are a woman, that you are feminine,” she said during the open forum.

“Make them see your mind. Make them see your point and somehow they will learn to respect you,” Sereno added.

The chief justice is facing allegations of corruption, excessive use of judiciary funds, falsification of court resolutions, misdeclaration of statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, and manipulation of processes at the Judicial and Bar Council which she heads.

Sereno decided against appearing before the House justice committee impeachment proceedings to determine if there is probable cause in the complaint.

Her camp had also brushed aside Malacañang’s call for her to step down, saying the move was strong indication that  impeachment case was flawed and weak. 

The House Committee on Justice will resume its hearing on the impeachment complaint filed against Sereno next week. — RSJ, GMA News