PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has told a United Nations special rapporteur who expressed concern over the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to “go to hell” and to stop interfering in the Philippines’ internal affairs.
UN special rapporteur Diego Garcia-Sayan on Friday said Duterte’s statements against Sereno seemed “directly related” to the unprecedented decision of the Supreme Court to remove her through a government-backed quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.
Garcia-Sayan said such actions from the President were sending a chilling message to other justices and posed a “serious threat” to judicial independence.
Sereno spokeswoman Josa Deinla welcomed Garcia-Sayan’s comments.
“For us, this is a welcome development that a formidable force in the international community is speaking up not only for the Chief Justice but for the Philippine judiciary,” Deinla said.
“As we have been saying consistently, this decision favoring the quo warranto petition of the Solicitor General will impair judicial independence whether decisionally or institutionally.”
But Duterte slammed Garcia-Sayan.
“He is not a special person, and I do not recognize his rapporteur title,” Duterte said before leaving for South Korea late on Saturday night.
“Tell him not to interfere with the affairs of my country. He can go to hell.
“I have nothing to do with that [quo warranto petition]. Tell that son of a whore rapporteur to go to hell … He is already interfering and that is an internal problem of the country. You should not meddle with it.”
Duterte again professed his innocence on the Solicitor General’s OSG’s successful effort to remove Sereno.
He challenged Sereno to find a single lawmaker who would confirm receiving instructions from him on her ouster and he would resign immediately.
He said he only blew his top when Sereno insisted he had a hand in the filing of the quo warranto petition despite a pending impeachment case against her before the House of Representatives.
In April, Duterte urged the lawmakers to hasten Sereno’s impeachment trial and Calida to “do his best” in pursuing the quo warranto petition as he declared Sereno his enemy and stacked the odds against her staying in office.
“I’m putting you [Sereno] on notice that I am now your enemy and you have to be out of the Supreme Court,” Duterte said.
“I’m not into the habit of going after my enemies. [But] you, Sereno, if you are insisting, then count me in. Count me in and I will let Calida do his best.”