FOLLOWING THE call for incumbent Chief Magistrate Generoso Ignacio Jacinto’s resignation, the Student Judicial Court (SJC) Magistrates have elected Magistrate Antonio Miguel Lagura to serve as the interim Chief Magistrate on October 17.
In a statement, the SJC said that “the current priority of the Court is to address its internal problems in order to improve its service to the student body.” This involves the revision of the Court’s Code of Internal Procedures and the Rules of the Court, in line with Article XV, Section 2 of the 2016 Constitution.
Lagura will be spearheading reforms such as allowing for more involvement from Court officers through the decentralization of tasks and more freedom for Magistrates to hold en banc sessions in order to deliberate on petitions “more punctually.” Additionally, he will serve as the Court’s official spokesperson in this period of transition.
According to Article IX, Section 1.1 of the 2016 Constitution, the Chief Magistrate shall be elected from the seven Magistrates who have been appointed. Magistrate applications will be open to the public beginning October 24 to November 5.
‘A plea for resignation’
Responding to the Union of Students for the Advancement of Democracy’s (USAD) position on the issue, the Court stated that “all possible legal and administrative remedies should be exhausted” before proceeding with impeachment.
In an earlier statement, USAD said, “We reject any extraconstitutional attempt to demand the removal of a duly appointed official of the Sanggunian without respect for the legal processes enshrined in our Constitution.”
USAD explained that the removal of a Magistrate from judicial office is through an impeachment by the Central Assembly, as stipulated by Article VIII, Section 3.4 of the 2016 Constitution.
However, none of the Magistrates was willing to raise the issue before an impeachment court because it would pose complications to the “physical, mental, and emotional well-being of all parties involved.”
Jacinto was called to step down due to the slow judicial processes under his leadership that were “indicative of the Court’s inefficiency and inability to fulfill its duties,” characterized by the release of the Electoral Code only after the General Elections.
On October 14, the Magistrates called for the resignation of Jacinto on the official Court page, however, the post was taken down. The Magistrates now extend their apologies to Jacinto for the “unintended tarnishing of [his] reputation.”
The Court asked the Loyola Schools community for continued support, patience, and prayer, while reassuring that it will “fulfill its Mission and its mandate to the best of its ability.”
“Although the circumstances have proved to be difficult, they have provided the Court opportunities to become a stronger institution which is better fit to serve the Ateneo student body,” the statement read.
