By Kristine Joy V. Patag
Reporter

A JUSTICE of the Supreme Court (SC) has flagged administrative orders issued by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes P.A. Sereno, including the appointment of a Philippine Judicial Academy (Philja) official and provision of travel allowances for Ms. Sereno’s staff.

In a five-page memorandum, Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro asked her associates in the high court to review the designation of lawyer Brenda Jay A. Mendoza as Philja Chief of Office for the Philippine Mediation Center (PMC).

Ms. De Castro said the appointment violated Administrative Order No. 33-2008 which provides that an appointment for the post should be approved by the SC collegially.

The justice pointed out that Mr. Mendoza’s appointment in June 2016 was approved only by Ms. Sereno and two other senior associate justices and did not pass through the full court.

Ms. De Castro recalled the appointment of Mr. Mendoza’s predecessor, then-Judge Geraldine Faith Econg, as approved by the SC en banc in a resolution dated July 7, 2015.

“Please note that the Memorandum does not mention the name of the applicant to the position recommended by the Philippine Judicial Academy. No Philja board resolution recommending Atty. Mendoza as PMC chief was submitted to the Court for action unlike in the appointment of PMC chief Econg. Hence, Administrative Order No. 33-2008 was not followed in the appointment of Atty. Mendoza,” Ms. De Castro said.

She then asked her colleagues “to review the appointment” of Mr. Mendoza as Philja’s PMC Chief.

Ms. De Castro also raised concerns over the “long delay” of appointments in key positions in the SC left pending before the Office of the Chief Justice, including the posts of SC Deputy Clerk of Court, Chief Attorney, and two openings for assistant court administrator.

She noted that these positions are “prejudicial to the best interest of service” of the high court. She urged her colleagues to “order the posting of the long vacant positions and adopt guidelines to require expeditious posting and filling-up of vacant positions to serve the best interest of the service.”

The high court justice also questioned the grant of travel allowances to the staff of the Office of the Chief Justice without the approval of the high court.

“The Chief Justice has granted to the members of her staff travel allowance for foreign travel without the requisite Court en bank approval, which every justice has to secure to be authorized to travel abroad on official business,” Ms. De Castro said, specifically pointing to the “frequent foreign travels” of Ms. Sereno’s staffmember, lawyer Ma. Lourdes E. B. Oliveros.

“The Chief Justice granted (Ms. Oliveros) foreign travel allowances charged to the [SC] funds without Court approval. The same is true with the foreign travel of the other staff in the OCJ,” she added.

Ms. De Castro asked her fellow justices to collegially “impose compliance with the requisite Court resolution approving foreign travel of court officials and personnel on official business before the expenditure of [SC] funds is authorized for said travel.”

Ms. Sereno is currently facing impeachment threats by leaders in the House of Representatives amid the controversy over the Ilocos Six case pitting the lower chamber of Congress against justices of the Court of Appeals.

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