MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines' embattled Supreme Court chief justice urged Filipinos on Wednesday to stand up against authoritarianism and threats to human rights, in an indirect criticism of the country's volatile leader, who has long called for her removal.
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is facing two ouster attempts, including by President Rodrigo Duterte's administration, whose legal counsel asked the Supreme Court to expel her for allegedly not declaring her assets in the past, making her ineligible to be the country's judicial leader.
The justice committee of the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Duterte's allies, is expected to vote Thursday to uphold an impeachment case against Sereno, who has gone on indefinite leave. Thirteen justices of the 15-member court have backed Sereno's leave amid the strife lashing the judiciary.
"The current state of the nation is one where perceived enemies of the dominant order are considered fair game for harassment, intimidation and persecution, where shortcuts are preferred over adherence to constitutional guarantees of human rights," Sereno said in a speech at a Manila college.
"Let us be thoroughly convinced that we can do something to change the situation as citizens of this country. We must not be passive spectators to what is happening," said Sereno, who cited constitutional passages on the need to uphold civil liberties, accountability and transparency in government.