”I respect your comments but it is a rigmarole to me”

MANILA - - President Rodrigo R. Duterte called on Chief Justice Maria Lourdes A. Sereno to recognize the need to announce personalities involved in illegal drugs, citing the magnitude the drug menace has created in the Philippines.His speech at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental Tuesday night centered on the campaign against illegal drugs and the need to publicize names of those in the police, the military and the judicial system who are included in the intelligence reports.Last Sunday, the President announced the names of seven judges, among others, whom he said have been connected to illegal drugs.These are Judge Mupas of Dasmarinas City, Cavite Judge Reyes of Baguio City Judge Savilo of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 30, Iloilo City Judge Casiple of Kalibo, Aklan Judge Rene Gonzales of the Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Judge Navidad of RTC Calbayog City and Judge Exequill Dagala of MTC, Dapa, Siargao.Sereno, in his letter to the President dated August 8, 2016, said Judge Lorenda Mupas was dismissed in 2007 for gross ignorance of the law or misconduct, thus, is not part of the judiciary anymore.Judge Roberto Navidad was killed on January 14, 2008 Judge Rene Gonzales of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC), Branch 7, Iloilo City compulsory retired on June 20, 2016 Judge Dagala of Dapa-Socorro, Surigao has no jurisdiction over drug cases similar to Judge Gonzales.Judge Adriano Savillo of of RTC Branch 30, Iloilo City is a family court judge and has no jurisdiction over drugs cases except when it involves a respondent is a minor Judge Domingo Casiple of RTC Branch 7, Kalibo, Aklan is a general jurisdiction court judge who does not have jurisdiction over drug cases and Judge Antonio Reyes of RTC, Branch 61, Baguio City, Benguet presides over the designated drugs court of the multi-sala court.Sereno, in her letter, said the Supreme Courts wants to know the source and basis of information about the President’s announcements since the agency is one with the Duterte administration’s goal to address illegal drugs.She even disclosed that SC is now investigating a report about a certain judge who may be so involved” in the illegal drugs trade but is not among those announced by the President.She, however, pointed out that a premature announcement of an informal investigation on allegations of involvement with the drug trade will have the unwarranted effect of rendering the judge veritably useless in discharging his adjudicative role.”Duterte, on the other hand, said names included in the list of suspected individuals allegedly involved in illegal drugs have been revalidated.He also clarified that the people whose names have been announced are not being accused but were directed to report to their superiors, with the judges advised to report to the Supreme Court (SC) and the policemen to report to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa. It was not an accusatorial utterance. Rather it was in consonance with my duty as the President of the Philippines to let everybody know sino yung mga tao sa tabi-tabi mo (It was not an accusatorial utterance. Rather it was in consonance with my duty as the President of the Philippines to let everybody know who the people around you are),” he stressed.The President said waiting for the issuance of warrant of arrests to address the illegal drugs issue would not greatly help the campaign, noting that there was a slaughter going on.””I respect your comments but it is a rigmarole to me,” he said, calling on Sereno not to order him or advise him not to create a Constitutional issue. Do not create a crisis because I will order everybody in the Executive Department not to honor you,” he said, reiterating his willingness to stake my honor, my life and my presidency.”