(Eagle News) — Associate Justice Samuel Martires denied Maria Lourdes Sereno’s allegations he “faith-shamed” her during oral arguments on the quo warranto petition filed against her.
“Basahin man nang pabali-baliktad ang mga tanong ko noong oral argument, maliwanag pa sa sikat ng araw na wala akong sinabi na o binigkas na salita na nagpapahiwatig na ‘baliw’ si Gng. Sereno dahil sa kaniyang masidhing paniniwala sa Panginoon,” Martires said in his 47-page concurring opinion.
According to Martires, Sereno “clearly made a consciously selective reading of the transcript of the stenographic notes.”
In the first place, he said calling him a faith-shamer “hit me where it hurts the most as movant Sereno is fully aware that we have the same spiritual beliefs–that God is the reason for our success, the source of our happiness and the center of our lives.”
“It would be incongruous, if not totally absurd for me to consider movant Sereno a “s*r* ul* on the basis of her religious beliefs because that would make me crazier than her,” he said.
Sereno had sought for the inhibition of Martires from the quo warranto case against her.
Apart from Martires, Sereno has asked that Associate Justices Teresita de Castro, Noel Tijam, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin and Francis Jardeleza,inhibit from the quo warranto case.
