‘Unfavored’ Sandigan justice claims Sereno moved her from post to post

A Sandiganbayan justice on Monday claimed that she was not in the good graces of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and that was the reason she was transferred from post to post after she was removed her a Supreme Court position in 2012.

"I can, with all honesty, say that I was not favored at all, in all the situations I've been through," Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Geraldine Faith Econg told lawmakers during the resumption of the House justice panel's hearing on the impeachment complaint against Sereno.

"I think the move was simply to change the head of the Program Management Office, meaning myself," Econg added.

The Sandiganbayan associate justice was invited to the hearing to elaborate on the allegation that Sereno had issued an administrative order which created the Judiciary Decentralized Office (JDO) and re-opened the Regional Court Administration Office in Western Visayas (RCAO 7), all of which was done allegedly done without authority from the Court en banc.

According to Econg, she was designated as the principal evaluator at the General Service Unit in the Hall of Justice of Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu.

But after that designation, Econg said another order came designating her as head of the JDO head.

Yet, only after a few days, she said she received a resolution from the court en banc appointing her as officer-in-charge of the RCAO 7 for two months.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita De Castro had questioned the decision to create the JDO, which put a halt to Econg's appointment.

Econg had to return to the Supreme Court to assume her position as PMO head, but it was filled during her absence by Ed Davis, who was later appointed as head of the court's Management Information Systems Office.

"I did not object [to the transfers] because, I believe... the chief justice has the right to appoint somebody of her own liking to a position as head of that Program Management Office because of the sensitive nature of that office," Econg explained.

She admitted, nevertheless, that she felt that Sereno had treated her unfairly.

The House justice panel is investigating whether there was probable cause to proceed with an impeachment complaint lodged against Sereno. — DVM, GMA News