By Jeffrey Damicog
Solicitor General Jose C. Calida has dared Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to present her missing Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) that she was supposed to file when she was still law professor at the University of the Philippines (UP).
Solicitor Genral Jose C. Calida
(Jansen Romero / MANILA BULLETIN)
“If Sereno indeed filed her SALNs, why can’t she just produce them?” Calida stressed in a statement.
Calida reacted to the claims of Sereno’s camp that he already shown proof that she has been filing her SALNs when she was a law professor at UP from 1985 to 2006.
The Solicitor General had already submitted to the SC a certification from the UP Human Resource Development Office (UP HRDO) which showed that she filed SALNs for the years 1985, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2002.
Sereno said she has retrieved her SALNs along with her 1989 SALN.
“This is another one of Sereno’s futile attempts to veer from the truth,” Calida said.
“As certified by the UP HRDO, Sereno selectively filed her SALNs for the years 1985, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2002.
The Solicitor General pointed out there is no independent evidence showing that Sereno filed her SALNs for the years 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Assuming she did not fabricate the 1989 SALN, Calida said “Sereno still lacks at least 10 more SALNs.”
“Finally, this “retrieval” of hers has no bearing in the quo warranto petition as she failed to submit them to the Judicial and Bar Council at the time these were required,” Calida added.
Calida filed a quo warranto petition before the SC which sought to void her 2012 appointment as chief justice for failing to submit her SALNs which was required from her by the Judicial and Bar Council.