Former
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Thursday dared President Rodrigo Duterte
to resign, claiming he personally admitted being behind the successful attempt
to remove her from the helm of the Supreme Court (SC).
In
a forum in Pasig City Thursday (May 17), Sereno indicated that Duterte was
influential in the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate her appointment as
Chief Justice.
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| Photo Via rappler.com |
"Kahapon
sinasabi niyang—hindi totoo—na magre-resign daw siya. Pang-ilang beses na po
nating narinig na magre-resign siya?" Sereno said at a forum organized by
the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the anti-extrajudicial killings group
Manlaban sa EJK in Pasig City.
"Galing
sa kanyang bibig, ang pag-amin na siya ang pasimula at at magpupursigi sa
pagtanggal sa akin. Puwes, ginoong Pangulo, mag-resign ka na," she added,
to applause.
She
cited Duterte's marking of himself as her "enemy" in response to her
question on why it was Solicitor General Jose Calida, the government's chief
lawyer, who filed the ouster petition against her.
Duterte
had also ordered Congress to "fast-track" the impeachment proceedings
against Sereno.
But
last Friday, days before Congress resumed session, the SC, voting 8-6, kicked
Sereno out of office as it granted Calida's petition for quo warranto, a
pleading that sought the invalidation of her appointment as top judge over an
alleged lack of integrity.
Hours
after her ouster, Sereno said Calida's attempt to expel her from the Office of
the Chief Justice would have ended if Duterte intended for it to.
"If
he does not want it, it could have ended, but it did not end. Clear as
day," she had told reporters.
In
response, Duterte said he "never lifted a finger" to oust Sereno.
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| Photo Credits |
Malacañang
refused to comment on Sereno's latest pronouncement.
"Tingin
ko po ang President ayaw na ring mag-komento dahil kahapon tinanong niyo naman
siya sa ambush interview niya tungkol kay Chief Justice Sereno. Hindi naman po
siya nag-comment," Palace spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. told reporters
Thursday.
"Hayaan
na po natin siya at hayaan na natin siyang manahimik bilang pribadong
indibidwal," he added.
Source: GMA NEWS
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