Looming dictatorship becomes more apparent as High Court ‘cracks’ over chief justice reported leave

The looming dictatorship in the Philippines is becoming more and more apparent with reports that the Supreme Court en banc has allegedly asked Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno to go on “leave” just as lawmakers are about to determine probable cause to have her impeached.

In a news report, a reliable source reportedly confirmed that the SC en banc has asked Sereno to go on an indefinite leave, which allegedly will start this Thursday, March 1.

If true, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said in a statement that this “exposes the widening cracks in the institution which impact on the independence of the Judiciary, the Court’s very integrity, and ironically, on respect for the Constitution apparently because of political designs, personal considerations, or convenient acquiescence to the dark side.”

Freedom-loving advocates have long been criticizing President Duterte for his evident moves to portray himself as a looming dictator, which, among others, include attacking the checks and balances mechanism in the government. Apart from Sereno, the Office of the Ombudsman and its chief Conchita Carpio-Morales are also facing threats from the Duterte regime.

Critics have also argued that the pending moves to amend or revise the Philippine Constitution may also pave way for Duterte’s dictatorial rule as one suggested provision give the President an oversight power over all branches of the government.

“The losing party here is not the Chief Justice nor any Justice of the Court. It is also not the Court or the entire judicial system. It is the residual faith of the people in already unresponsive institutions whose roles are being wilted away, willingly or unwillingly, to de facto authoritarianism,” the NUPL added. (RPRD News)

(Photo grabbed from balita.net.ph)

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