Exclusive Analysis by Raïssa Robles
This one is totally amazing. To lose a document in a fire that happened TWO YEARS BEFORE the document was written.
In 2012, when Associate Justice Teresita de Castro applied for the post of Chief Justice, she wrote the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) a letter saying she could only submit 15 SALNs (yearly Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth) documents despite 39 years of government service.
The excuse she gave was that her SALNs covering the years 1973 to 1978 “could no longer be located”.
As for the SALNS covering the period from December 1, 1978 to September 22, 1997 when she worked at the Department of Justice (DOJ) — she said they had “burned” — as she put it — in a fire that “gutted” the third floor of the DOJ building “in late 1996 or early 1997”.
Because of this fire, De Castro said, she lost “her personal files” — including all her personal copies of her SALNs covering the period of December 1, 1978 to September 22, 1997 — when she worked at the DOJ.
There’s a problem with her excuse: the fire actually took place on December 11, 1995 and not—as she claimed – “in late 1996 or early 1997”.
The actual date of the fire has serious implications on the truthfulness of De Castro’s excuse for missing some SALNs.
How could she lose her 1996 SALN — and for that matter her 1995 SALN — to a fire that took place way before she was supposed to file them?
Let me explain.
First, a word about SALNs in general
Section 17 of Article XI of the 1987 Constitution requires all government workers from the President down to the lowliest regular state employee to file yearly SALNs.
Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees further fleshed out this constitutional provision. But it did not specify when SALNs should be filed during the year.
The period of filing is specified in its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). You can see the IRR here.
Implications of required SALN filing date on CJ De Castro’s excuse for missing SALNs
In CJ De Castro’s case, the following is the pertinent provision in the IRR:
When to File
The above documents under the Code must be filed:
(1) Within thirty (30) days after assumption of office, statements of which must be reckoned as of his first day of service.
(2) On or before April 30 of every year thereafter, statements of which must be reckoned as of the end of the preceding year; or
(3) Within thirty (30) days after separation from the service, statements of which must be reckoned as of his last day of office.
Using this guideline, it means:
ONE. CJ De Castro should have filed her SALN for the year 1995 between January 1 to April 30, 1996 or AFTER the December 11, 1995 DOJ fire.
TWO. CJ De Castro should have filed her SALN for the year 1996 between January 1 and April 30, 1997 or TWO YEARS AFTER the December 11, 1995 DOJ fire.
HOWEVER, she claimed that both her 1995 and 1996 SALNs had burned down when the 3rd floor of the DOJ building was gutted. She dated the fire as having occurred “in late 1996 or early 1997”.
De Castro’s excuse for her missing SALNs, including her date of the fire, must have been acceptable to most of her fellow justices. The main Supreme Court decision on the quo warranto case of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno merely noted and did not question De Castro’s excuse.
This is what the Supreme Court ruling ousting Sereno said about De Castro’s missing SALNs [underlining mine]:
Conformably thereto, the following candidates submitted their respective letters as regards the submission of the SALNs:
“(a) Justice De Castro submitted a letter dated July 17, 2012 with the attached SALNs for 16 years covering the period 1997 to 2011, from the time she became an Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan on September 23, 1997 until December 2011 as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She also disclosed that her SALN from February 19, 1973 until November 30, 1978 which she filed during her employment in the Supreme Court, could no longer be located. She also disclosed that her personal files, including her SALNs that she filed while employed at the Department of Justice from December 1, 1978 to September 22, 1997, were among those burned when the third floor of the DOJ was gutted by fire in late 1996 or early 1997. In any case, upon inquiry from the CSC, she was told that her SALNs filed as DOJ employee were already disposed of, as it was way beyond the statutory ten (10) – year period.”
Before I go on, please note that the ponencia who penned the main SC ruling might have miscalculated the number of SALNs De Castro actually submitted in 2012. Justice Noel Tijam wrote that she had attached “SALNs for 16 years covering the period 1997 to 2011…”
The period only covers 15 years, not 16.
In fact, Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, in her dissenting opinion, noted in a table that De Castro had submitted only 15 SALNs.
When was the fire on the third floor of the DOJ building?
CJ De Castro’s narrative on the fire actually caught my attention because it was very specific and vague at the same time. Very specifically, she said the fire at the DOJ occurred on the third floor. But she was somewhat vague on when the fire occurred: “in late 1996 or early 1997.”
I did try getting in touch with former Senator Teofisto Guingona, Jr. who was the DOJ Secretary at the time of the fire. But I received no answer.
And then I thought the story was NOT THAT IMPORTANT because anyway, De Castro was not vying to replace Sereno. So I shelved it.
Then suddenly, she was.
And suddenly, she was the new CJ.
And one major factor that led her to that position was the displacement of Sereno — on the issue of SALNs. In fact de Castro had expressed outrage, writing a 45-page document excoriating Sereno, who had been unable to produce SALNs for the years 2002-2006 because they were “irretrievable.”
In casting her vote to oust Sereno, De Castro wrote [underlining mine]:
“The impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona and his conviction by the Senate sitting as Impeachment Court emphasized the importance of the SALN. As Senator Francis Joseph G. Escudero (Escudero) pointed out during the JBC en bane meeting on June 4, 2012, “the JBC should impose higher standards to aspirants for the position of Chief Justice.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The Court has repeatedly held in numerous administrative cases that court employees, from the highest magistrate to the lowliest clerk, are held to a higher standard than most other civil servants, and that every employee of the Judiciary should be an example of integrity, uprightness, and honesty.
♦ ♦ ♦
The evidence on record shows that respondent [Sereno] was unable to submit her SALN s for 2002 to 2006 to the JBC as required for applicants for the Supreme Court Chief Justice vacancy in 2012 and she deliberately deceived and misled the JBC so as to secure her inclusion in the shortlist of candidates for the vacancy in the said position, despite her noncompliance with the SALN requirement mandated by the Constitution, the law, and implementing rules.
♦ ♦ ♦
Considering the foregoing, respondent’s appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, secured through her lies and deception in the entries in her sworn PDS [personal data sheet] and regarding her non-compliance with the above mentioned SALN requirement of the JBC, is void ab initio, and for such reason, I vote to GRANT the Petition for Quo Warranto.”
That sounds like De Castro sets a great store on the importance of SALNs, doesn’t it? It was one of the reasons why I became curious about her own SALNs and the fire that allegedly destroyed them.
I contacted some government sources to verify exactly WHEN this fire happened.
I was very much surprised to be told initially that the fire occurred not “in late 1996 or early 1997” as De Castro said.
But in December 1995.
However, the sources only had their recollection of the fire and no specific date of when it happened in December of 1995.
The Shield Law which protects journalists from having to disclose their sources of information protects me from having to disclose whom I had talked to.
Suffice it to say that as soon as another source gave me the specific date of December 11, 1995, I looked for other sources that would verify the date of the fire.
My sources were very clear that aside from the December 11, 1995 fire, NO OTHER MAJOR FIRE OCCURRED ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE DOJ between 1995 and 1997. Major enough to be covered by a foreign news agency.:
An Ateneo librarian helped me find the Associated Press story on the 1995 DOJ fire
Celia Cruz, former librarian of Business Day newspaper where I once worked, suggested I try the archives of the Rizal Library of Ateneo de Manila University.
Most fortunately, Tomas Dela Cruz, librarian in the microform and digital resources center of Rizal Library, was quickly able to locate for me a story on the DOJ fire. It was in the December 12, 1995 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
And it talked about a fire hitting precisely the third floor of the DOJ the night before.
Here it is below: [NOTE: You can view the images full screen by clicking on the diagonal arrow on the right side below the file.]
But what if there really was another fire “in late 1996 or early 1997”, as De Castro said?
This is still possible. However, the 1995 fire already affected the third floor where De Castro was then holding office. So presumably, her personal files were already affected in 1995. Unless she reconstructed those files, can her files, which were already affected in 1995, be affected again “in late 1996 or early 1997”?
If she had reconstructed the files after the 1995 fire, don’t you think De Castro would also have mentioned in her letter that there were in fact two fires in successive years; and she reconstructed her files but these were affected again? Her letter only pointed to one fire.
She still could say that the 1995 fire did not affect her SALNs but the 1996 or 1997 fire did. Then she would have to explain why the first fire had no effect but the second fire had.
Notice that I used the word “affected”. I did not use the word “burned”, as she did. Because some government sources told me that a lot of documents were not actually consumed by the flames but were damaged by the water used in hosing down the fire.
What THIS 1995 fire means
De Castro herself, in her concurring opinion ousting Sereno, castigated Sereno for the latter’s missing SALNs.
De Castro wrote — on page 43 of her 45-page decision voting for Sereno’s ouster — that “the mere submission by respondent (Sereno) of her letter dated July 23, 2012 to the JBC (Judicial Bar Council) — wherein she deceptively claimed that since most of her ‘government records in the academe are more than fifteen years old,’ they are infeasible to retrieve…”
Surprisingly, De Castro had given the same kind of excuse for six of her missing SALNs. They “could no longer be located”.
There is no mention in the SC ruling that in 2012, when De Castro applied for the CJ post, she had submitted a certification from the Bureau of Fire in Manila or the Department of Justice to attest that fire at the DOJ had occurred when she said it did.
Besides, the certification might have revealed that De Castro could not account for her SALNs for 1995 and 1996.
BUT –
Here’s one thing we can draw from the SC decision ousting Sereno.
When De Castro joined the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan on September 23, 1997—after 24 years of uninterrupted government service—she had NO SALN WHATSOEVER in her possession.
Because the SALN she would have submitted by April 30, 1997 that year would have covered the 1996 period. And it is clear from the SC main ruling that De Castro did not submit her 1996 SALN. She said it burned down “when the third floor of the DOJ was gutted by fire in late 1996 or early 1997.”
So what if she had no SALNs, you might say.
Here’s why.
It’s quite unusual for a former justice department official without SALNs to be appointed a Sandiganbayan judge because this court has the sole jurisdiction for convicting government officials and employees who don’t file or lie about their SALNs.
In 2012, when she vied for the post of Chief Justice and she said her SALNs were lost in a fire and no other copies remained in other government agencies, De Castro’s excuses seemed highly believable.
However, it seems no one in the JBC thought to ask her why — after joining Sandiganbayan in 1997 — did she not try to get certified true copies of her burned SALNs to reconstruct her personal file? Or at the very least, get a certification from the DOJ that she had lost her SALNs in a fire but the DOJ had copies?
That would have been easy to do then. Government sources explained to me that at that time, SALNs at the DOJ were filed with the personnel department which was located in a separate building which did not burn down in the 1995 fire.
This lack of interest to retrieve copies of her SALN then would appear to indicate that when De Castro was in Sandiganbayan, she did not really give SALNs the same weighty consideration that she does now. Despite the fact that other government officials and employees were being sent to jail or fined by the Sandiganbayan due to lack of SALNs.
No wonder that in her concurring opinion ousting Sereno, De Castro agreed with the opinion of Justice Antonio Carpio that – “since the government custodian is required to keep the SALNs for only 10 years, government employees cannot be required to keep their SALNs for more than 10 years. Thus, applicant for government positions, in particular, judicial positions, should not be required to submit SALNs more than 10 years prior to the application.”
Because if this had been required, De Castro would not have qualified for CJ.
This lack of SALNs, however, did not stop De Castro from turning around and castigating Sereno. According to De Castro: “Beginning 1994, respondent (Sereno) should have filed her SALNs yearly on or before April 30 of the immediately succeeding year.” As proof of non-filing, De Castro pointed to Sereno’s lack of SALNs.
Coincidentally, De Castro added:
“The root of respondent’s deceptions lies in her letter dated July 23, 2012 to the JBC.” De Castro castigated the “mere submission by respondent of her letter dated July 23, 2012 to the JBC — wherein she (Sereno) deceptively claimed that since most of her ‘government records in the academe are more than fifteen years old,’ they are infeasible to retrieve — she was already deemed to have substantially complied with the requirements and was eligible to be interviewed.”
If we apply De Castro’s standard for Sereno, her own July 17, 2012 letter to the JBC — stating that most of her records burned down — could also be castigated as a “deceptive claim.”
And yet the SC main ruling criticized Sereno’s excuse but accepted De Castro’s explanation of a fire.
De Castro’s predecessor, Sereno, was ousted due to missing SALNs. The justices ruled that SALNs were a test of her integrity. And integrity is a very important qualification for a Chief Justice.
As De Castro herself wrote in her decision ousting Sereno:
“…every employee of the Judiciary should be an example of integrity, uprightness, and honesty.”
Last April, De Castro herself became the subject of a quo warranto request. A private citizen named Jocelyn Acosta asked Solicitor General Jose Calida to also file a quo warranto case against De Castro for her 19 missing SALNs.
Calida rejected the request saying:
“The argument which the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General) propounded against Sereno does not apply to Justice De Castro since it was Sereno who was appointed as the Chief Justice without the qualifications back in 2012.”
Even though the JBC in 2012 had eventually judged that Sereno had complied with the SALN requirements — after relaxing this further to a 10-year period and accepting Sereno’s letter as an explanation for her missing SALNs — Calida proceeded to dig into Sereno’s SALNs beyond the 10-year period.
Now that De Castro is the sitting Chief Justice, will Calida apply the same standards he used for Sereno’s quo warranto case?
Whether or not he does, among the things that CJ De Castro will perhaps have to explain before the bar of public opinion are the following:
1) When was the fire she used as an excuse for her missing SALNs? Can she prove there was a fire on the third floor of the DOJ in late 1996 or early 1997?
2) Since evidence shows that the fire occurred in 1995, how did her 1996 SALN get burned in 1995? Or two years before she even wrote and submitted it?
3) What happened to her 1995 SALN, which she was required to file four months after the fire?
What if De Castro pleads memory lapse, confusing the date of the fire?
That would be a valid excuse.
But she would still have to produce her 1995 and 1996 SALNs. ♦
______________________________________________
Irene Binauhan says
I can vouched the date of the fire. I assumed in my new position to the technical staff, the office gutted by fire in the 3rd floor main bldg, on January 2, 1996. Technical staff was transferred and held office at the first floor of the annex bldg. And yes, the custodian of our SALN is the Personnel Section, which was located in the 2nd floor of the annex bldg.
raissa says
1996?
The same place was burned twice in a matter of weeks?
raissa says
Wait, sorry.
Brain fog.
YOu are saying that you are vouching for the date of the fire – the date being December 11, 1995.
And you joined the technical staff on Jan 2, 1996?
Is that a correct interpretation of what you wrote?
arc says
irene, you meaning to say when you joined as technical staff, cleaning after the fire kayo on jan, 2, 1996? fire must have left plenty debris, plenty rubbish, mess. engineers would have to check and ascertain the building is safe for habitation, electricity reconnected, etc.
leona says
To bring this out:
‘Even though the JBC in 2012 had eventually judged that Sereno had complied with the SALN requirements — after relaxing this further to a 10-year period and accepting Sereno’s letter as an explanation for her missing SALNs — Calida proceeded to dig into Sereno’s SALNs beyond the 10-year period.’
SC decision on Page 110 by J. Tijam said:
‘Without prejudice to this Court’s ruling in A.M No. 17-11-12-SC and A.M. No. 17-11-17-SC, the JBC En Banc cannot be deemed to have considered respondent eligible because it does not appear that respondent’s failure to submit her SALNs was squarely addressed by the body.’ x x x
Then said: ‘Again, without prejudice to the outcome of the pending administrative matter, it appears that respondent’s inclusion was made under the erroneous belief that she complied with all the legal requirements concomitant to the position.’
Acc to SC, JBC made the erroneous belief that CJ Sereno complied
with all the legal requirements [ on her SALNs].
CJ De Castro might quote this in answer
to that above portion in this article.
leona says
To bring this out again:
‘However, it seems no one in the JBC thought to ask her why — after joining Sandiganbayan in 1997 — did she not try to get certified true copies of her burned SALNs to reconstruct her personal file? Or at the very least, get a certification from the DOJ that she had lost her SALNs in a fire but the DOJ had copies?’
. . . no one in the JBC thought to ask her [CJ De Castro] why * * * getting
certified true copies of her burned SALNs etc. * * *
JBC did not commit any erroneous belief because * * * IT DID NO ASK HER WHY * * *
Which is now worst – no questions asked [ to J. De Castro] or JBC allowed erroneously
CJ Sereno as having complied? = for both of them re each SALNs.
Now, don’t ask me WHICH? and WHY?
leona says
Summa total: the ’10-Year Period’ for SALNs
as OSG Calida did DIG beyond that period,
he can DIG on that to reach China!
Limitless is the rule on Quo Warranto
DIGGINGS to get one’s ‘integrity’ or dishonesty.
This is the belief on CJ Sereno case and
like other cases to come at the Judiciary
Hall.
Be Wary candidates for CJ very soon!
arc says
as you judged so shall ye be judged, nasa bible po yan. it’s the castrated’s turn now, her judgement day has cometh, he, he, he.
Yvonne says
Thank you Raissa for your timely, well-researched, and very informative expose’. I’m glad to see some familiar names again and many new ones.
When someone has a temporary bout of amnesia, such as when one conveniently lost or forget some of her SALN perhaps a gentle nudge will jog her memory.
I’m much younger than the interim CJ so perhaps my memory is not yet shrouded by the fog of age as I can still imagine the CJ taking the private elevator at the Supreme Court that only the justices can use, or how she would take the overhead walkway from the DOJ and the SC that is reserved for high-ranking government officials only.
I could still imagine when, fresh out from Sandiganbayan, thanks to Gloria Arroyo, you had the yellow carpeting in your office at the SC ripped out and changed with a pink carpet. You really dislike dilaw, and cannot stand the dilawans, do you?
Do you remember the time you had a million-peso waterfall installed in your office? It became very controversial in the SC at that time, unknown to the outside world, but you tried to justify it by saying that the sound of waterfall is very soothing and it made you think more clearly and helped you in your court decision-making.
Whatever happened to the sound of the waterfall? Did it get drown by the stronger sound of the cascading water from the series of typhoons that devastated the country? Or was it the sound of the howling winds in the wilderness? Is that why you decided the fate of former CJ Sereno, the way you did? Was your missing SALNs blown away by the winds?
What happened Madame CJ? Can I jog your memory a bit?
raissa says
Hi Yvonne,
Welcome back!
Jog OUR memory not just a bit. But a lot.
Truth is, we don’t have any memory of those that you speak of.
Do tell us more.
arc says
yellow carpet makes it hard for de castro to sweep things under, settled on pink carpet as in red being cousin to pink. who likes red? the marcoses! who likes pink? may hukbong in the making yang pink, he, he, he.
leona says
Just a short history of the ‘Yellow’ to ‘Pink’ carpets:
Yellow carpet must have been
Justice Garcia’s office because:
‘Soon, then President Corazon Aquino took him back to Malacanang as Assistant Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs. Aware that he is a Jurist at heart, President Cory appointed him to the Court of Appeals where he served for almost fourteen years until 2004, first as Associate Justice, then as Presiding Justice of that court, a position he held twice – from March 14 to July 29, 2001 and April 11, 2002 to April 8, 2003.‘
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancio_Garcia
J. De Castro changed Pink carpet after being appointed by Pres. Arroyo.
Passing the Bar with bar rating of 80.9%. There is
no Waterfalls outside her Office per photo shown
on website.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresita_de_Castro
Time travel much? How could Chief Justice
Teresita de Castro lose a . . .
2 days ago – In 2012, when Associate Justice Teresita de Castro applied for the post of Chief Justice, … This is what the Supreme Court ruling ousting Sereno said about De Castro’s …. [NOTE: You can view the image full screen by clicking on the diagonal …. She had a 1m waterfall installed in her office to think clearly?
Raissa Robles’ latest article NOW at
https://www.google.com/search
Manny Ilao says
As the old Chinese proverbs said ” YOU SHOULD NOT THROW STONES IF YOU LIVE IN A GLASS HOUSE” The issues raised by De Castro to Sereno back then is more fitting to her than Sereno. She has a lot of explaining to do!
raissa says
Perhaps she will choose silence.
daniel says
DIGONG’S – the newest restaurant in town
SET MENU (Para sa mga tangang Pilipinong naniniwala pa rin kay Digong)
RICE- with bukbok o mahal? your choice.
MAINS – Ginisang ampalaya, paboritong ulam ng mahistrado
– Galunggong (imported from China, caught in West Phil Sea)
– Dinuguan (inspired by EJKs)
– Laswa (true Visayan dish but applicable to so many in govt)
PRICES – Subject to change without notice, depending on how inflation and exchange rate deteriorates. With federalism, we add 20%.
May gana ka pang kumain?
daniel says
I am inviting everyone in Cyber Plaza Miranda to my new restaurant, ” DIGONG’S”.
SET MENU -PAGKAIN NG MGA TANGANG PILIPINONG BUMOTO KAY DUTERTE
RICE – with or without bukbok
MAINS – Ginisang ampalaya (favorite dish of SC)
– Galunggong (imported from China but caught in West Phil Sea)
– Dinuguan (inspired by EJKs)
– Laswa (true Visayan dish, but the name applies to many in govt)
We also serve lutong makaw, depending on how Bongbong manipulates the COMELEC and SC.
Prices subject to change without notice, depending on inflation rate and exchange rate deterioration. Under federalism, we will add 20%+ .
raissa says
Ano yung ingredients ng “laswa”?
Curious lang ako.
daniel says
Laswa is an Iloilo vegetable soup. Via Mare has their version that includes kalabasa, malunggay, some shrimp, okra, tomato, eggplant.
” Laswa” in its Tagalog sense is also what comes out of Digong’s, Alvarez’s, Tulfo’s mouth from time to time.
raissa says
Thanks for the explanation :)
aberato says
This particular write-up will surely make de castro’s ass tickle. In cebuano, “gilok sa iyang lubot”, murag “kigwa” or pin worm that never stops to tickle the “lubot”. And she cannot just sleep on this because this “kigwa” is an incessant creature.
Thanks maam Raissa. God bless us all!
leona says
aberato . . .ha amon tawag yan ‘KAGID’. . . makatol
na peste ha putik/bubot mo.
pareho hin TUNGAW * * * ha lisik/itlog.
raissa says
That phrase sounds kinky, aberato.
What does it mean? – “gilok sa iyang lubot”
leona says
* * * it means: tickle at down under * * *
he he
Aberato says
haha..down under…asstralia….
arc says
ang kay the castrated naman, sa tan-aw naku, morag langaw siya nga pula ang lubot! lisod ug dili makalingkud, way hunong ang lupad. he, he, he. to me, the castrated appears like a fly with red bums barely able to sit still . . .
he, he, he, tingalig dunay pubic lice siya! nangatol diha, itchy kaayo! mayhap she got pubic lice too, itchy down there! she would have to use gavel as scratcher he, he, he.
asstralia, got it, supreme courting . . .
cesar says
Maraming salamat Maam Raissa, sana umpisahan na yong impeachment sa HOR at tawagin ka as resource person againts de Castro.
raissa says
You’re welcome.
But as for the second one, don’t bet on it. :)
cvm says
quo warramto should be revisited/reopened to put on record this unearthed fact that debunked de castro’s misrepresentation. forthwith, let the rules play out.
raissa says
We shall see what happens.
The prevailing argument right now is – just wait for her to retire by October.
Welcome to Cyber Plaza Miranda, the Cyber Tambayan ng Bayan. Do join in the discussions here.
cvm says
Can’t wait to see the way the cookie crumbles.
raissa says
let’s see.
arc says
cvm, I’ve heard of quo warranto filed vs de castro and her cohorts of bent justices, sinantabi yata ni equally bent solgen calida, he with the vested sekyu interest, for lacking merit yata.
but with this new pahayag dug up by our raissa, dapat may quo warranto anew filed jusf for de castro, not for the eight of them bent justices. the 8 taken as one would take longer time to process, but if it’s only de castro, court process should be faster, lalo na’t there is already precedent, that of sereno’s.
rest of the bent justices can wait, already one has jumped ship and became ombudsman. de castro is priority now so hit her 1st. the chief justice deserves only the best, better than all the rest, better than anyone . . . priority siya and deserving.
cvm says
Good idea, arc!
Noel says
Raissa, i fnd this a very detailed analyses of chronological impossibilities, legal implausibilities, and embarrassing discrepancies between the ethical standards she set for herself and for her much despised Cj Sereno.
Now, let’s see if, whether, and how she explains her fortunes and fortune telling, and if as volubly as she did at the House Judiciary Committee hearings.
Two months should be more than enough to tell the truth. Else, she’ll have the rest of her lifetime trying to live this down. True, she may no longer be impeached, but she certainly will be reviled, something I wouldn’t wish on anyone looking to a quiet retirement…except Duterte himself; but definitely! (There’s another SALN for you from his term as Mayor, isn’t there?)
Thanks for another great piece of investigative work!
raissa says
Thanks for reading, Noel.
I think the attitude she will try to take initially is “deadma”.
Like Imee Marcos.
She will only react if forced to or if totally enraged.
kalakala says
initial attitude of “deadma” until she will become a “dead ma”? would enjoy the retirement perks at the expense of our taxes?
leona says
If a CJ of the SC is salaried at P246,618.00 per
MONTH will CJ De Castro get a
Five (5) Year LUMP SUM gruity on
the day of retirement [even if she didn’t
serve for at least 5 years as CJ ] and
Allowances, etc. PLUSES too?
‘SEC. 3. Upon retirement, a Justice of the Supreme Court
x x x shall be automatically entitled to a lump sum of five (5) years’ gratuity computed on the basis of the highest monthly salary plus the highest monthly aggregate of transportation, representation and other allowances such as personal economic relief allowance (PERA) and additional compensation allowance he/she was receiving on the date of his/her retirement x x x
https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2010/ra_9946_2010.html
Salary only – P246,618.00 x 60 months? = P14,797,080.00
that will be exploding PERKS!
arc says
I want to clear my name! I want to live with honor and dignity! money is nothing if my name is sullied, status is nothing if my name is dragged through the mud, mantra ng karamihan yan.
kining si de castrated, bilang chief justice, would be above the karamihan and held in much higher regard. and for her to be saln-ing irresponsibly, defaming an honest fire and changing its date, and hoping no one noticed her misdemeanor, tsk, tsk, tsk, too much water in the brain, he, he, he. water intoxicated, felled by waterfall!
quo warranto de castrated and she lost her benefits, all of it! yahooooo! never mind kung barely two months lang siya in office, just quo warranto her and her benefits will be gone, else she’ll run away with millions! stop, thief!
raissa says
deadma lang.
leona says
Deadma kaunti. . . lang sya!
One cannot retire ‘clean’ as long
there is a PENDING case. . . like
impeachment.
Delayma kaunti . . . lang sya!
So? LH of Congress has to fast
track action on impeachment
complaint within remaining 37 days
or sooner whichever comes first.
One cannot get PENSION pag
may KASO ka waiting online.
Ombudsman Office and SC will not give
one a CLEARANCE.
So? PENDING DEADMA muna.
36 Days to GO perking for pension.
If heavens allows a Quo Warranto is
filed by a new OSG, deadma tagal muna.
DEADMA Karma.
he he
kalakala says
deadma… silence… ang tamis ng mga ngiti during oath taking before her president… ‘First female CJ’ tag is ‘technically correct’.
from rappler:
More painful perhaps for Sereno, Ombudsman Samuel Martires called De Castro the first-ever female Chief Justice, erasing the historic Sereno appointment from history.
Asked about it, De Castro said: “Technically, [Martires] is correct.”
arc says
sus, nagmantinir na lang sila with technicality, dahil sereno has been there, done that, five years sitting siya sa high chair, saka five years sitting on the toilet that de castro will now be sitting, he, he, he, segunda mano si de castro. five years sereno signed de castro’s leave; 5 years banging the gavel, habang si de castro less than two months lang, ang iksi at parang ‘pinangayo’ ang position niya.
leona says
The court has collegiality now.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/210560-collegiality-restored-
supreme-court-de-castro-chief-justice
No more snitching * * * on
confidential matters of the court.
A snitch? What is it? Informer.
In-for-me-r [rebel]
he he
arc says
collegiality restored, of course, si sereno kasi is not collegiate with duterte, not collegiate with solgen calida as well. kaya pinatalsik siya sa trabaho. independent si sereno at ayaw magpa-influence ng mga politico, away makipag-collegiate sa kanila.
ngayon, collegiality restored na talaga, thanks mostly to de castro and the bent justices, 8 in all sila. happy na uli si duterte at solgen calida, collegiate nila si de castro.
ang border ng supreme court ay breached na, may over the bakod na, inakyat ng akyat bahay gang, he, he, he. and de castro is smiling, happy for the gangs to be there. collegiate.
kalakala says
… and now our very own cj justice de castro broke her silence her being deadma on issues surrounding her ( bayad utang sa pag patalsik sa dating cj, fire and waterfalls)
” Leave SC alone, De Castro tells critics, allies
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1027592/leave-sc-alone-de-castro-tells-critics-allies#ixzz5Q0cqWUHe
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
KCP says
This is very good investigative work! I can’t wait also to hear what the new CJ has to say for herself. But what if, like all the other thick-skinned and dense people we have in government, she simply turns a blind eye and ignore this? How can she be held accountable?! She must resign, or be ousted too. Right?
raissa says
I don’t know, KCP.
I only know that the Philippines always surprises me with its turn of events.
Let’s wait.
Meanwhile, I hope you join in the discussions here in Cyber Plaza Miranda, the Cyber Tambayan fo Filipinos worldwide.
Gomer Jay Legaspi says
The chasing game starts now. But, can we get the same mileage with that of Sereno? De Castro might have the numbers in the Supreme Court. She has the blessing too from the lunatic President.
raissa says
I don’t know.
My goal was to find out the truth.
arc says
gomer, the lunatic president is fishing, his junta failed, no takers, ayaw kasi ng military ang gulo, gusto ng military is sobrang palakihin ang budget nila, the sky is no limit! then, the buang presidente ay mas gusto pinas to be ruled by dictator. so okay, if we are to be ruled by dictator, then we’ll choose our won dictator, he, he, he. buang should not be choosing dictator for us, not only is he buang, his judgement is terribly flawed pa. he is only good to be put in a tin of sardines and drowned in tomato sauce!
raissa says
what to you would be the indications that his junta failed, arc?
arc says
junta started with him po, spoken by him and ended with him, his one man junta, he, he, he, and that’s about it! junta did not see the light of day, not a single shot fired or he would have hit his own foot! then, he would have to give medal and cell phone to hisself, wounded in action.
and despite the president’s urging, the military is not interested in junta. what interest the military the most is bigger budget and plenty money.
pardon po, I am sarcastic sometimes, other times satiric, drunk in between and often tambay rito, mais ang kinaon namo, tarukog ang sud-an.
Marlou says
Great article. Thanks for this, i cant wait for De Castro’s response.
raissa says
Me too.
Michael says
You can bet the response will be all kinds of B•[email protected] They just don’t care whether they look stupid or guilty. They will just push on with arrogance. That seems to be the Filipino way (in politics).
raissa says
It reminds me of the reasoning used during Marcos’ Martial Law.
netty says
Now, now, the Supreme Cheater de Casto is reaping the fruits of the exotic quo warranto.
Would SOLGEN CALIDA JUST BECOME DEAF, MUTE AND BLIND?
Or would he also be seared by the fire of justice? I bet he never see it coming or did he?
Did his protegee never disclosed this piece of oversight as an attorney – golden girl privilege/relationship for fear or effecting a lost case.
If he had known this, would he still cover the issue or let it go?
What is HIS AND HER legal responsibility if it explodes on their faces that it is a big deceit?
DECEIT OR NOT, JUST COME UP WITH THE SALN RECEIPT :)
Are there still decent remaining justices there in the govt that can resurrect respect and honor in the offices of the great SC aka the Supreme Cheater of the PH.
If she has indeed cheated and lied, this is the kind of justice that will balance the haste major political legal cases within two months and would it give a believable, truthful judgement on the pending VP recount appeal? Let us see with eyes wide open, not block out.
What chance has JUAN TAMAD with this first amnesiac lady supreme justice?
Thanks, Raissa. May the force be with you , always. take care.
victor says
Thank you for giving us facts and details. This is worth reading. May true justice and karma be served soonest.
raissa says
Thank you for coming over and posting.
Do join in the discussions here at Cyber Plaza Miranda, the Cyber Tambayan for Filipinos worldwide.
leona says
A wonderful recall of fire date by Raissa Robles.
CJ De Castro cannot use or say she had a memory lapse
resulting in confusing the DOJ fire date
– because in CJ Sereno’s case J. De Castro did not
have any memory lapse. In fact, J. De Castro
was very sharp in memory as to CJ Sereno’s SALNs
in details.
So? If CJ De Castro actually says she made a
memory lapse, this is not enough to let her get
away from her castigating to high heavens CJ Sereno’s
relapse.
An excellent post REJOINDER to the hollowness
of J. De Castro’s concurring OPN in the case of CJ Sereno’s ouster.
.
.
raissa says
You are right, Leona.
She could remember all the details about Sereno’s SALNs.
Why couldn’t she remember hers?