Sereno: 'I religiously filed SALNs'

MANILA, Philippines — Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Friday asserted that she has “religiously filed” her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth during her stint as professor at the University of the Philippines.

Sereno filed a 137-page memorandum on Solicitor General Jose Calida’s ouster petition against her.

In a statement, she said that “her repeated filing of her SALNs proved that her ‘intent, plan and habit as a UP professor was to religiously file her SALNs.’”

The chief justice said that she has already recovered 11 of her SALNs and has direct proof that she filed at least 12 SALNs during her time working at the UP.

“Considering that she already has proof that she executed or filed 12 SALNs, she was actually missing only 4 SALNs for the years she was required to file the same and these were 1992, 2000, 2003 and 2006,” the statement reads.

Calida sought Sereno’s ouster from her position as he said that Sereno failed to meet the “integrity test” when she filed only 3 SALNs in 2012, during her application for the chief justice post.

READ: Calida: SC should measure Sereno by same yardstick

Failure to file SALN or submit it to the JBC no bearing to integrity

The embattled chief justice also countered Calida’s claim and asserted that one’s failure to submit a SALN proves that she lacks integrity to hold her post.

“SALNs...are not among the documents which the JBC considers ‘evidence of integrity’ under Section 1, Rule 4 of the JBC Rules,” she said.

“From the time of its creation in 1987 and for over 20 years thereafter, the JBC did not require applicants for positions in the judiciary to submit their SALNs,” Sereno added.

Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, during the oral arguments last April 10, said that the SALN cannot be used as a measure of one’s integrity.

While Associate Justice Noel Tijam argued that the “integrity” is not founded on court jurisprudence, but on “honesty, probity, truthfulness made by person.”

Calida, who earlier filed his memorandum on the case, stressed: “One thing is beyond quibbling: a public officer’s failure to religiously comply with the constitutional and statutory requirement of filing the SALN negates any claim of proven integrity.”

Calida’s quo warranto case is now deemed submitted for resolution.

The SC, Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said on Thursday, may rule on ouster petition on May.

READ: 'Why the rush?' Sereno camp asks amid reports of special SC session