“Ayaw ko makialam diyan.”
This was President Rodrigo Duterte’s reaction to Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno’s claim that he was the unseen behind her impeachment complaint in the House of Representatives.
In an interview Tuesday, Duterte said Sereno was wrong.
“Alam mo, sinabi sa akin merong narinig na si Sereno, ‘Duterte is out to…’ Ha, ako raw? She can ask anybody, I guarantee you. I’ll make a guarantee, magtanong siya diyan kung may nilapitan ako na sinasabi ko, ‘Impeach niyo si Sereno’,” said Duterte.
In an exclusive interview with ANC’s Karen Davila, Sereno said: “Does he (Duterte) have a hand in my impeachment? I go by his official pronouncement and I wish him success as a President but I hope he understands that checks and balances are very, very important for any democracy.”
Duterte said that if he ever spoke about Sereno, it was just in reaction to the adverse reaction against her from the public and her peers in the Supreme Court.
“Except the public, ‘yung I reacted because of the so many complaints for coming in — from the Justices themselves, the way she conducted… But that was it,” said Duterte.
“Ma’am Sereno, I’m sorry to tell you and you can investigate the whole town and i-commission mo lahat ng mga journalists who are good at investigative journalism kung may kinausap ako na tao about your impeachment,” he added.
