Maria Lourdes Sereno facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Lourdes Sereno
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Sereno serving as chief justice
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| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines | |
| In office August 25, 2012 – May 11, 2018 On leave from March 1 – May 9, 2018 |
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| Appointed by | Benigno Aquino III |
| Preceded by | Renato Corona |
| Succeeded by | Teresita de Castro |
| 169th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines | |
| In office August 13, 2010 – August 25, 2012 |
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| Appointed by | Benigno Aquino III |
| Preceded by | Renato Corona |
| Succeeded by | Marvic Leonen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal
July 2, 1960 Manila, Philippines |
| Education | Ateneo de Manila University (BA) University of the Philippines Diliman (LLB, MA) University of Michigan (LLM) |
Maria Lourdes "Meilou" Aranal-Sereno (born July 2, 1960) is a Filipina lawyer and judge. She served as the head judge, or chief justice, of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2012 to 2018.
President Benigno Aquino III first appointed her as an associate justice in 2010. In 2012, at age 52, she became the chief justice. This made her the second-youngest person to hold the position. She was also the first woman to lead the highest court in any Southeast Asian country.
In 2018, the Supreme Court removed her from office. The court decided that her appointment as chief justice was not valid from the start. This happened after she had publicly disagreed with some actions of President Rodrigo Duterte. Because her appointment was canceled, she is considered a de facto chief justice, meaning she held the position in fact but not by law.
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Early Life and Education
Maria Lourdes Sereno was born on July 2, 1960, in Manila. Her father was from Siasi, Sulu, and her mother, a public school teacher, was from Bay, Laguna.
Sereno was an excellent student. She graduated as the second-highest in her class (salutatorian) from Kamuning Elementary School in 1972. She also graduated with honors from Quezon City High School in 1976.
She earned a scholarship to the Ateneo de Manila University and studied Economics. Later, she went to the University of the Philippines Diliman for her law degree. She graduated with honors (cum laude) and as the top student in her class (valedictorian) in 1984.
After passing the bar exam to become a lawyer, she continued her studies. She earned a Master's degree in economics from the University of the Philippines and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Michigan in the United States.
Career Before the Supreme Court
Sereno began her career as a lawyer at a major law firm. At age 38, she worked as a legal counselor for the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1999, she was the only woman on a team that helped plan changes to the Philippine Constitution. Around the same time, she helped create Accesslaw, one of the first electronic systems for researching Philippine law.
She also worked as a legal advisor for several government offices, including the Office of the President and the Department of Trade and Industry. For 19 years, she taught law at the University of the Philippines College of Law.
Before joining the Supreme Court, she was also a consultant for international groups like the United Nations and the World Bank.
Service on the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the Philippines. It is made up of a chief justice and several associate justices.
Associate Justice (2010–2012)
In 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Sereno as an associate justice. She was the 169th judge to join the court and the 13th woman. At the time, she was the youngest person to be appointed to the court in over 60 years.
Chief Justice (2012–2018)
On August 24, 2012, President Aquino appointed Sereno as the chief justice. She replaced Renato Corona, who had been removed from office.
As chief justice, Sereno sometimes disagreed with the decisions of President Rodrigo Duterte. For example, she voted against allowing the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos in a cemetery for national heroes. She also called for fair legal steps to be followed for people accused of crimes.
These disagreements led to a conflict with the president. In a public speech in 2018, President Duterte declared that he considered her an "enemy" and wanted her out of the Supreme Court.
How was Sereno removed from office?
In 2017, some members of the Philippine government started a process to remove Sereno from her job. The government's main lawyer, Jose Calida, filed a special legal case called a quo warranto petition.
This petition argued that Sereno's appointment as chief justice was invalid. The reason given was that she had not correctly filed all of her past financial records, called a Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN). Sereno argued that she could only be removed through a different process called impeachment.
On May 11, 2018, the Supreme Court justices voted 8–6 to grant the quo warranto petition. This decision removed Sereno from her position as chief justice. The court later confirmed its decision, stating that her appointment was void from the beginning.
Because of this ruling, Sereno is no longer officially listed as the 24th chief justice. The court appointed Teresita de Castro to the position, making her the official 24th chief justice.
What happened with her tax case?
In May 2024, the Court of Tax Appeals reviewed a case about Sereno's taxes from 2011 to 2016. The court decided in her favor and canceled the tax charges that the government had made against her.
Personal Life
Maria Lourdes Sereno is married to Mario Jose E. Sereno. They have two children, Maria Sophia and Jose Lorenzo.
Awards
- Awardee for Law, The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service (TOWNS), 1998
