After telling the Supreme Court that he would not follow their order and threatening Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno with a declaration of martial law, President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Sereno for his “harsh words.”
“I apologize to the Chief Justice for the harsh words I’ve said, it was never intended,” Duterte said.
“Because of the magnitude of the (drug) problem, it was my way of solving the problem within the ambit of my power as President,” he added.
Duterte mentioned martial law if the Supreme Court “interferes” in his campaign against drugs.
Sereno penned a letter for Duterte, giving her observations on the inclusion of seven judges in his narco-list, whom Sereno advised not to “surrender” themselves without a warrant of arrest.
In the letter, she also called Duterte’s move to reveal the list as “premature.”
“So, ikaw ang winawarningan ko, hindi ako. Do not create a crisis because I will order everybody in the executive department not to honor you,” Duterte reacted to Sereno’s letter.
“If this continues, pigilan mo ako eh di sige, pag nagwala na, or would you rather I declare martial law?” he added.
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Sereno ‘appreciates’ Duterte’s apology
Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te told the media on Friday that Sereno knows and appreciates Duterte’s remarks after their word war.
“The Chief Justice appreciates the President’s latest remarks (but) she will no longer say anything on the matter.
After Duterte’s tirades against Sereno and the Supreme Court, Te made a statement about Sereno’s refusal to give a response.
“Many things have been said. The Chief Justice sees no need to add to what are being said,” Te read a statement from Sereno.
Pangilinan lauds Duterte’s apology
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan praised Duterte’s gesture of apologizing to Sereno.
“We welcome the President Duterte’s public apology for his ‘harsh words’ meant for Chief Justice Sereno. It shows that he is willing to admit he is wrong and this is laudable,” Pangilinan said in a press statement.
The senator also reminded Duterte that as President, everything he says represents the 100 million Filipinos he governs and it affects everyone, either positively or negatively.
Sources: (newsinfo.inquirer.net, philstar.com, gmanetwork.com, mb.com, kikopanglinan.com)
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