maria lourdes sereno

About Maria Lourdes Sereno

“If my heart is no longer crying at injustice, then I must leave my position in the Supreme Court—then I no longer deserve to be a Justice of the Supreme Court. The moment na hindi na ako umiiyak, yung hindi na ako nasasaktan, yung heart ko hindi na nagbe-break sa nakikita kong kawalan ng katarungan, ibig sabihin matigas na ang puso ko, dapat umalis na ako. Hindi pwede yun.” -Maria Lourdes Sereno

KATULAD NI HESUS, DALAWA ANG LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT NG KRISTIYANO SA SOCIETY

So as Christians, we pray, and we speak according to God’s instruction to do good by seeking justice (Isaiah 1:17). And there is nothing more publicly unjust in our present conditions than to see Filipino public officials justifying the wrong that they have inflicted on our national soul by doing the very things that the Bible condemns: corruption and injustice (Isaiah 61:8).

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is living proof that true courage is forged through adversity.

Sereno rose from humble beginnings to become the country’s first female Chief Justice in 2012. She attended public elementary and secondary school, then pursued higher education through scholarships. She graduated valedictorian from the UP College of Law in 1984, and holds a Masters of Law degree, specializing in law and economics and international trade law, from the University of Michigan.

She was a law professor at the UP for nearly 20 years. The World Trade Organization recognized her stellar credentials with her 1998 appointment as Counsellor of their Appellate Body in Geneva, Switzerland. She was also involved in successful international litigation as co-counsel for the Republic and was AIM’s Executive Director for their Policy Center.

With her modernizing outlook and firm belief in the power of technology, she co-founded a corporation that developed the first annotated electronic research system in Philippine Law. Her tenure as Chief Justice is marked by far-reaching reforms, including eCourts, automated hearings, case decongestion, continuous trials, and expanded small claims courts. At the heart of her reform program is the strong conviction that justice and the law’s protection should be accessible and responsive to the most vulnerable Filipinos. Because she was a staunch defender of judicial independence, Sereno was subjected to intense persecution.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is now a major voice for people-centered change in Philippine society. She believes this change is part of God’s desire for this country, that every Filipino is precious in God’s sight, bawat isa mahalaga, and that each citizen and every community has a role in building up this nation. She is an advocate for faithfulness to the vision of a “just and humane society” in the Philippine Constitution, and integrity and accountability in governance.

FOLLOW