She Stood Up to Duterte. Now She Faces Impeachment.<br />The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, an association of legal experts on human rights, has criticized the 13 justices who asked Chief Justice Sereno to go on leave, saying they had "prejudged the impeachment proceedings." Chief Justice Sereno, who has two children and says she is a devout Christian, said in the interview<br />that she found it difficult at times to separate her personal life from her public profile.<br />But Mr. Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, has called on her to resign "to protect the institution." The president has said he was not involved with the impeachment drive,<br />and Chief Justice Sereno said she took him at his word.<br />By FELIPE VILLAMORMARCH 2, 2018<br />MANILA — The chief justice of the Philippines, who has resisted some of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies on the grounds<br />that they flouted human rights and the rule of law, faces an impeachment vote next week over accusations that she had concealed some of her income for years.<br />It is about our democratic way of life and preserving our gains as a people." The House of Representatives concluded hearings<br />this week on the impeachment complaint, which was brought by a lawyer with ties to political allies of Mr. Duterte.<br />Supporters of the chief justice, Maria Lourdes Sereno, the first woman to lead the Philippine judiciary, say<br />that Mr. Duterte’s allies organized the impeachment push to remove a thorn in his side.<br />She said that Mr. Duterte, an admirer of Mr. Marcos, had "acted with grave abuse of discretion"<br />when he ordered the dictator’s remains transferred to the Heroes Cemetery in Manila in 2016.<br />The House, which is controlled by Duterte allies, is widely expected to vote for impeachment next week.
