DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental — Municipal and Regional Trial Court judges in Region 7 are maintaining their neutrality on the impeachment case against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Negros Oriental RTC Branch 30 Judge Rafael Crescencio Tan, Jr. on Monday made it clear that the stand of Negros Oriental judges, as well as likely those of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-lapu and Bohol, is to stay neutral and let the legal process take its proper course.
“We support the call for judicial independence, propriety and neutrality. Based on Canon 4, Section 26 of the New Code of Judicial Conduct for the Philippine Judiciary, judges are supposed to be impartial and independent,” said Tan.
“We won’t side with anybody; we don’t call for the resignation of Chief Justice Sereno, but we are for judicial independence,” the statement read.
The House of Representatives’ justice committee on Monday approved the committee report and the articles of impeachment against Sereno. (Juancho Gallarde/PNA)
