MANILA, April 6 (PNA) — The Palace on Monday reiterated its commitment to fight corruption but said it is up to the judiciary to cleanse its ranks of corrupt judges.
“We are all against corruption in all its forms. We are, however, recognizing the role of the separation of powers and the existence of the three branches of government. We will defer to the Chief Justice as to how the Supreme Court handles corruption cases within their branch,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters during a press briefing.
He was commenting on reports that the Coalition of Filipino Consumers has asked Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to investigate allegations of “justice for sale” involving members of the Court of Appeals.
Citing a World Bank study that said it takes the Court of First Instance several years to resolve a case, Secretary Lacierda emphasized that justice delayed is justice denied.
“That is one of the reforms that we would like to see happen, especially in the area of cases. As a lawyer, I’ve heard of so many stories about situations like these, and so we will leave it with Chief Justice Sereno and her peers to find ways to investigate and to find a long-term solution to this corruption in the judiciary,” he said. (PNA)