President Rodrigo Duterte has called Maria Lourdes Sereno an "enemy" for voting against government proposals. The opposition said the ouster of the nation's first woman chief justice left behind a "puppet Supreme Court."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Aljibe
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The Philippine Supreme Court voted on Friday to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for allegedly failing to file statements of assets and liabilities as required by law.
Court spokesman Theodore Te said eight of 14 justices voted to expel Sereno from the 15-member tribunal. Sereno, the country's first woman chief justice, denies the allegation and did not participate in the vote.
Sereno has been at loggerheads with President Rodrigo Duterte, who has called her an "enemy" for voting against many government proposals.
She also has been speaking up for the respect of law and human rights, referring to Duterte's brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has left thousands of suspects dead.
Sereno is the first chief justice to be removed by her peers. She is the second top judge to lose the position after her predecessor was impeached for non-disclosure of wealth. The Congress, controlled by Duterte's allies, was due to vote on an impeachment complaint against Sereno next week.
Sereno's position is vacant with immediate effect and the court has ordered the judicial and bar council to begin a new selection process, Te said.
Sereno's spokesman said she would appeal the decision.
After he came to power, President Duterte unleashed a bloody campaign to fulfil his pledge of wiping out the drug trade in the country. DW spoke to some families who lost their loved ones in this controversial drug war.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Daunting challenge
Mimi Garcia holds the pictures of her son Richard and daughter-in-law Robilyn who were killed by masked vigilantes on motorbikes at their shanty home in Camarin, Caloocan city, on October 7, 2016. She faces the daunting responsibility of taking care of her two grandchildren while being jobless at the same time.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Brutal incidents
Andres Fernandez and his son Wesley rest at an altar inside the family home in Bagong Silang, Caloocan. On October 4, 2016, two armed men in masks went inside the Fernandez home and pointed a gun at Wesley. They made him kneel as Andres tried to help. They responded by shooting at Andres first before killing Wesley.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Suspicious killings
One of the children of alleged pusher Kenneth Trasmano lights a candle during the wake of his father in Manila. Kenneth was killed in a police undercover operation after allegedly fighting back on February 2, 2018. His family and neighbors claim the police forced them to leave their homes and get out of sight, and thereafter heard the gunshots.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Left alone
A child holds the pictures of her deceased father Joseph and grandfather Marcelo. Marcelo was killed in a police operation inside their home on July 22, 2016. Her father was rounded up and taken by the police. His lifeless body was later found "salvaged" along a roadside.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Last message
The picture shows letters written by children who have lost either one of their parents in the drug war, as part of their counselling session at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Camarin, Caloocan city.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Funeral march
Family and friends walk the funeral procession of Rogelio Gilbuena and his common law wife Jenny Royo, who were both found dead (several hours apart) in different locations in Navotas city, Manila. Prior to their death, the couple were taken from their house in Navotas by 10 men who introduced themselves as police.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Remembering the dead
Families of victims of drug-related extrajudicial killings offer flowers to their departed loved ones during the Holy Eucharistic Mass Action in Bagong Silang, Caloocan.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Calling for justice
Her husband Luis and her son, Gabriel, were killed in September 2016. During their burial, she was stoic. The days after she had laid them to rest were different. "I began looking for them and could not stop crying." MA nowadays attends protest rallies calling for a stop to drug-related killings and justice for those who have died. She hides her face as she doesn't want to be identified.
Image: Raffy Lerma
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'Let's defend the constitution'
Emerging from the Supreme Court after the decision, Sereno asked hundreds of protesting supporters to organize a movement to defend justice and accountability.
"Let's continue to defend the constitution and fight wrongdoing. Let's continue to spread the message of democracy and reason," she told the crowd.
Senator Risa Hontiveros called it "a direct stab to the heart of our Constitution", while her Akbayan party said the country was "a heartbeat away" from the death of its democracy.
"After having a lapdog Congress and a seriously wounded Senate, we now have a puppet Supreme Court," the party said in a statement.
Senator Francis Pangilinan, who heads the opposition Liberal party, called Sereno's removal "a mockery of the constitution."
Duterte's war on drugs — how does Bantay Krimen work?
