Sereno defends foreign travel accommodations, purchase of P5-M service vehicle

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno shot down allegations in the impeachment complaint filed against her that she falsified injunctive and administrative orders, bought a luxury vehicle using public funds, and that she traveled in style.

Appearing on Monday's episode of GMA News TV’s "Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie," Sereno explained why these accusations brought forward by lawyer Larry Gadon before the House of Representatives supposedly lack merit.

Sereno denied that she acted on her own in reviving the Regional Court Administration Office (RCAO) in Region 7 and falsified the temporary restraining order issued in connection with the proclamation of the five remaining winners of the party-list race in the May 2013 elections.

In the election case, she said she only acted on the recommendation of the magistrate in charge of the petition, which happened to be Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro who took Sereno to task for the RCAO resolution dated November 27, 2012.

"They are just recommendations. The authority is really mine. So how can I falsify my own TRO issued under my authority?" Sereno said, adding the chief justice is empowered under SC Internal Rules to issue a TRO when the Court is in recess.

Any TRO issued by the top magistrate during the Court's recess, however, is subject to review by the en banc or division when sessions resume.

"Tignan mo na lang how ridiculous this is. Kami kaming labinlima lang ang nag-uusap [during an en banc session], si Gadon daw ay nasa kwarto?" Sereno said, referring to Gadon's revelation about her alleged questionable orders.

Sereno also defended the acquisition of a Toyota Land Cruiser (2017 model), calling it her "security vehicle."

She said the purchase of the P5.1-million vehicle had the approval of the SC en banc and that the chief justice is allowed under Administrative Order 233 issued in 2008 to buy a service vehicle for security reasons.

"Kung legal pala eh anong reklamo. It's perfectly legitimate. It followed all the rules. Ang dami namang mga opisyales na hindi siguro head ng branch of the government na mas mabigat pa nga ang sasakyan," Sereno said.

Sereno also said it was the first time she had ever requested for a vehicle since she was appointed to the SC in 2010.

Gadon alleged that Sereno even ordered the bullet-proofing of the Land Cruiser, "but only withdrew when news of her impending impeachment broke out."

Sereno admitted during the interview that the vehicle had no bullet-proofing yet.

As for allegations that she got herself billeted in the presidential villa of the Shangri-la Boracay during the 3rd Asean Chief Justices Meeting in March 2015, Sereno said she had never used it for her accommodation alone.

Sereno said it was at the presidential villa where the "Boracay Accord" was signed and the photo opportunity of the 10 Asean chief justices was held.

She said the resort charged P134,192.25 for the use of the presidential villa instead of the regular rate of P280,000.

"Ngayon, sino tutulog dun pag gabi? Eh di ang ginawa namin, dalawang kwarto kasi yun, ako at ang staff ko natulog kami dun. Wala namang gastos sa taumbayan yun eh. Kung kumuha kami ng ibang kwarto, yun ang dagdag gastos pero dahil ginamit namin yung bayad na eh di walang gastos," Sereno said.

In her comment to the impeachment complaint lodged with the House justice committee, Sereno said had she, her staff, and part of the secretariat taken separate rooms at the resort, it would have cost the taxpayers around P17,000 per night for the chief justice and around P30,000 per night for the two rooms for her security and staff.

"Thus, by using the presidential villa at no additional cost, the chief justice actually saved public funds," the comment stated.

Sereno also slammed Gadon's claim that she flew on business or first class together with a "huge entourage of lawyers," staff, and security in her official foreign trips.

The chief justice said she has not traveled first class since the SC Human Resource Manual only allowed her to travel on "full business class."

Considering her work load, Sereno said traveling on business class made sense.

"It makes sense for someone who is busy. Yung mga tipong kailangan tapusin ang speeches, yung kailangan may chine-check na ibang trabaho pa [at] binabantayan. Kailangan ko naman ng enough writing space because I write and I use my laptop during these flights, so I continuously work," she said.

"And then I have to rest because usually pagdating ko either I just have one night sleep before or dadating ako sa morning tapos sabak na sa meeting sa gabi o hapon," Sereno said.

In four of her 16 official foreign trips, Sereno said she traveled without any assisting lawyer. In nine of the 16 trips, she was assisted by only one lawyer and in two trips, by two lawyers.

"These are key people that I needed. So yung word na entourage hindi ko talaga alam kung saan niya [Gadon] nakuha iyon. Baka nag iisip-isip siya na kapag si Justice [Teresita] De Castro kasama ko, si Justice [Presbitero] Velasco kasama ko, yung ibang justices binibilang niya yun. Baka nagbibilang siya pati ang mga yun eh hindi ko naman entourage yun," Sereno said.

Sereno also took pride in her achievements five years into her 18-year tenure as head of the judiciary.

She cited the deployment of 635 case decongestion officers nationwide and the implementation of the eCourts program, which records all incidents in an information system that shows the age of each case and highlights pending incidents that require action by the judge.

Sereno said the Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial of Criminal Cases took effect last September 1 in which the trials are set one day apart, uninterrupted by dilatory postponements. — Virgil Lopez/BAP, GMA News