Questionable judgment

Editorial

Malacañang the other day appealed yet again to the public to give Noynoy’s chief justice, Lourdes Sereno, a chance to perform her duties and prove herself, especially since the Palace claimed that her appointment has received positive feedback from various sectors.

If Noynoy’s appointment of Sereno is being hailed by various sectors, as claimed by Malacañang, why then does it air its appeal to the public to give Sereno a chance to prove herself? There would have been no need for the appeal, since “various sectors” have already given “positive feedback” on her appointment.

The reality is that it is probably only the yellows who give Sereno the thumbs up, knowing that she is just as yellow as they are.

Truth is, if, as claimed by Noynoy, that Sereno possesses superior “integrity, probity and independence” along with her ability to reform the judiciary — “superior” because Noynoy in appointing her, bypassed all the senior justices — why then isn’t she, the new CJ, being respected by many, especially by the senior justices, who have been known to snub her and the many court activities where justices are expected to be present, if only out of respect?

Presidential Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang claimed that Malacañang does not want to speculate on the reason the seven senior Supreme Court (SC) justices failed to attend the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, led by Sereno.

Carandang claimed: “What is clear is that the Supreme Court has a new leader, no one is questioning that…as I said before, the appointment of Justice Sereno was widely perceived to be a positive thing that caps the drama over the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona. So it’s a new slate and we hope that everybody will give Justice Sereno a chance to prove herself.”

No one is questioning that there is now a new leader in the SC? The Palace boys are really out of touch with reality, or else, they realize that they can’t defend the indefensible.

Sereno’s appointment as CJ is being questioned, precisely because too many people — except perhaps the Yellows — do not see her fit to take on the high post in the judiciary, since she is not even steeped in constitutional law and hardly knows the ways of the High Court. What they see in her appointment is one that says Noynoy picked her because he can be assured, with her as CJ, of rulings favorable to the Palace tenant.

What Noynoy and his yellow advisers didn’t count on was that given the “animosity” of the other justices, owing to their being insulted by Noynoy through the leapfrogging of Sereno, she may end up being the sole dissenter in rulings against Noynoy and the Palace.

That she is not fit to lead the SC can be gleaned from reports of the psychiatric evaluation of Sereno, where she was graded by the team of psychiatrists and psychologists as “very unsatisfactory” as she has her mood swings and depressive tendencies while putting on a happy face. Worse, she appears to be a religious fanatic, putting religion in everything she does — which would naturally include her decisions in SC rulings.

How can one even begin to take Sereno as a fit CJ when, in her first speech to the court employees last Monday during the flag ceremony, she claimed, in all seriousness, that she was appointed by God, not by man, not by politics, nor business, but by God alone?

Malacañang does not bring up that Sereno spiel, nor do the Yellows because they all know that her appointment by Noynoy impacts negatively on Noynoy and his choices and judgment, which is quite questionable.

In appointing Sereno, who will be staying in the CJ post for 18 years, Noynoy wasn’t thinking reforms, but thinking of his and his allies’ protection especially after he leaves the Palace.

His judgment of character is just as highly questionable, given the fact that he must have known of Sereneo’s mental and emotional impairment.

But then again, maybe not. He too, is said to suffer from the same impairment.