CJ Sereno to Pinoys: Ponder PHL future after Mamasapano incident, sacrifice of 44 PNP-SAF

"I think every Filipino should be deeply concerned on what happened. It requires us to think deeply on the direction our country is taking," she told reporters in a chance interview after her keynote address at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City.

 

Her statements came minutes before the televised address of the President Benigno Aquino III on the Mamasapano incident.

 

Sereno, whose father hailed in Sulu, said all flags of the courts fly at half-mast to mourn the death of the 44 Special Action Forces (SAF) commandos.

 

Before her speech, the Chief Justice asked for a moment of silence in honor of the fallen SAF personnel. 

 

"[The incident] fills us in the judiciary with much sadness," said Sereno, who have served as the country's chief Justice for three years.

 

"It is sad for any part of our country to experience disorder and chaos and even violence," she added.

 

On Tuesday, Sereno appealed for sobriety in the aftermath of Sunday clash between government forces and the Moro islamic Liberation Front and its splinter group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. 

 

“A call for war and retribution should never be made lightly and should remain always a final option. It should certainly not be made in the heat of the moment and in the face of, as yet, unclear facts and confusing narratives. Let us instead all contribute to our nation's search for just and lasting peace by encouraging all parties to bring any conflict to the table of peace instead of the battlefields of war,” she said earlier. 

 

On Monday, Mohagher Iqbal, Moro group's chief peace negotiator, stressed that the attack launched by members of the MILF against elements of the PNP-SAF was "self-defense" on their part.

 

While peace negotiations are ongoing, MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim said that there are certain "established protocols" between the government forces and the armed group. 

 

On calls for justice after the Mamasapano firefight, Sereno said the courts will be ready to try the case when it is brought to them.

 

But for now, she "leave it all… to the partners in justice to provide effective investigation and prosecution."

 

“Ang kumpiyansa sa Judiciary, I have been trying to demonstrate to everyone that we are really committed in ensuring that heinous crimes, impunity… are addressed because these are serious problems in our country," she said.

 

The Chief Justice cited the reforms the court has implemented to ensure the expeditious resolution of the Maguindanao Massacre case.

 

"You have seen our conduct in the Maguindanao Massacre trial. We have really gone out of our way to create special rules so it can be finished in an expeditious manner as possible," she said.

 

The high court has allowed the use of judicial affidavits during the trial. 

 

Fifty-eight people,including 32 journalists died in the massacre in Sitio Masalay in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao on November 23, 2009.  — ELR, GMA News