JUSTICE MARIA LOURDES SERENO / SENATE
JUNKS BID TO SUMMON SERENO
MANILA, FEBRUARY 28, 2012 (SUPREME COURT
WEBSITE) Justice Maria Lourdes Aranal Sereno President Benigno
Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino today swore in lawyer-academician Maria Lourdes Aranal
Sereno as his first appointee to the Supreme Court. Justice Sereno's appointment
to the Supreme Court as its 169th Justice completes the 15-man tribunal.
Justice Sereno fills in the vacancy created by the elevation of now Chief
Justice Renato C. Corona to the top judicial post on May 17 following the
retirement of then Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno.
Born July 2, 1960, the 50-year old Justice is the youngest to be appointed to
the SC in this century. She is also seen to be one of the longest-serving
justices so far as she is set to mandatorily retire after serving a 20-year term
in 2030.
"I will serve my fellow Filipinos with integrity and conviction, holding
myself to the ideal of justice that refutes the abuse of strength and instead
labors to succor the weak…; justice that may serve as one of the several
foundations for rebuilding institutions and restoring the people's faith in good
government," Justice Sereno said in her first official statement issued today.
"The responsibility of a Supreme Court Associate Justice in the continuing
endeavor of national development is indeed formidable. The strengthening of
governance by the rule of law needs to be guided by a deep and unadulterated
pursuit of truth in all its various dimensions – seeking to uphold what is
fundamentally right and fair. I humbly accept this responsibility and by God's
grace commit myself to help fulfill the Filipino's quest for true justice," the
new Justice added.
With 23 active years in law practice, more recently in the field of local
appellate and international arbitration, and notable scholastic undertakings,
Justice Sereno brings to the Court deep and diverse legal experience.
Prior to her appointment to the SC, Sereno was Executive Director of the
policy think-tank of the Asian Institute of Management since February 2009; and
President of the Accesslaw, Inc. from April 2000. She was a UP Law professor for
almost 20 years. From 1995 to 2002, she was Consultant for Judicial Reform,
working with the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank, and the
United States Agency for International Development.
Sereno also taught law and economics at the Philippine Judicial Academy;
international trade law at the Hague Academy of International law, University of
Western Australia, and Murdoch University; electronic commerce law at the AIM,
and international trade law at the Department of Foreign Affairs-Foreign Service
Institute.
From 1994 to 2008, she served as legal counsel in various government
agencies: Office of the President, Office of the Solicitor General, Manila
International Airport Authority, Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade
and Industry, World Trade Organization-ASEAN Free Trade Area (WTO-AFTA)
Commission, and the Philippine Coconut Authority. She handled various
international trade and investment law disputes in WTO in Geneva, International
Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington DC, and in
International Chamber of Commerce's International Court of Arbitration (ICC-ICA)
in Singapore and in Paris, employing bilateral dispute resolution mechanisms.
She was co-counsel for the Republic in its cases involving the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport Terminal 3.
Sereno also had a stint as Commissioner and Chair of the Steering Committee
in the Preparatory Commission on Constitutional Reform in 1999. She was a
Director, from 1996 to 1999, at the Institute of International Legal Studies in
UP. From July to October 1998, she was Counsellor to the WTO Appellate Body in
Geneva, serving as assistant to members of the Appellate Body (judges).
Sereno served as Deputy Commissioner in the Commission on Human Rights after
working as a Junior Associate in one of the known law firms.
Sereno also drafted the legal framework for the operations of the first
paperless trading of securities in the country for the Bureau of Treasury.
Sereno was recognized as one of the Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service
in the field of law in 1998.
Sereno holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, Michigan, USA. She has units in the Master of Arts in Economics Program
from the University of the Philippines School of Economics. An economics major
from the Ateneo de Manila University, Sereno studied law in UP where she
graduated valectorian cum laude in 1984, placing 14th in the Bar exams results
of the same year.
Sereno was born to Margarito Aranal of Siasi Sulu, and Soledad Aranal of Bay,
Laguna. She is married to Mario Jose E. Sereno. They are blessed with two
children: Maria Sophia, 24, and Jose Lorenzo, 23.
FROM THE INQUIRER
Senate stands pat against compelling SC justice to testify
By Maila Ager INQUIRER.net 6:58 pm | Monday, February 27th, 2012
MANILA, Philippines–The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court,
stood pat on Monday against compelling Associate Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and
other justices of the Supreme Court to testify in the ongoing impeachment trial
of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Senate president and impeachment court presiding officer Juan Ponce Enrile
warned that compelling the justices to testify would only destroy the country's
system of government.
Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, representing the prosecution in
the impeachment trial, had asked the Senate to subpoena Justice Sereno to
testify on the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court in favor
of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her
husband, Jose Miguel, last year in relation to the watchlist order issued by the
Department of Justice on the Arroyos.
"Suppose we follow your line of action. Susunod kami sa gusto ninyo…at
makikita ng Korte Supreme na magiging arbitrary ang hukom na ito at idineklara
nila itong prosesong ito na unconstitutional . San tayo pupunta? Saan? (Suppose
we will follow what you want and the Supreme Court views the action of this
court as arbitrary and declare this process as unconstitutional. Where do we go?
Where?) " Enrile asked Colmenares, who insisted on issuing a subpoena against
Sereno.
"Pag sinabing you're doing an unconstitutional act, ano ang remedy?
Kina-calibrate po namin ang galaw namin dito para hindi masira ang sistema ng
gobyerno natin (If they say we're doing an unconstitutional act, what's the
remedy? We're calibrating our moves here so as not to disrupt our system of
government)," Enrile further said.
Before this, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago also stood up and
chided the prosecution for insisting on calling Sereno before the impeachment
court.
"The counsel wants to place this impeachment court in a direct collision with
the Supreme Court. Anong mangyayari pag sinabpoena natin ang isang justice ng
Supreme Court at ayaw nyang sumunod? (What will happen when we subpoena a
justice of the Supreme Court and she does not comply?)" Santiago asked
Colmenares.
"Ano ngayon ang mangyayari sa impeachment court . E di mag-aaway away kami ng
Korte Suprema Will you assist us during that? Will you enlighten the public on
what is the proper balance of power between an impeachment court and the Supreme
Court?" she asked.
Santiago pointed out that like the executive and the legislative branches of
governments, the judiciary also has its confidentiality clause that must be
respected.
"E bakit ngayon, we are singling out one branch of government so that we can
penetrate their confidentiality? Anong klaseng argumento yan (What kind of
argument is that?)" she asked.
"Do you recognize that you're asking this nation to go into a direct
collision between two separate branches of government? Have you fully thought
out your position?"
"Ano ngayon ang mangyayari kung isubpoena namin at i-cite for contempt? Ano
ngayon mangayari? Magpapakulong ba sya ng sukat? E kung i-cite din nya kami for
contempt?. Ano ngayon ang sagot mo? (What will happen if we subpoena and cite
her for contempt? What will happen? Would she allow herself to be in jail? What
if she also cites us for contempt?"
"Pag isipan muna natin ito (Let's think about this first) because we're
talking of the entire nation. It's not a question of pataasan ng ihi. Sino ang
mas malakas ang Supreme Court or impeachment court . Hanggat maaari, maglilihis
tayo (Who's stronger, the Supreme Court or the impeachment court? As much as
possible, let's avoid a collission)," the senator added.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
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