Impeached judge seeks calm in Manila
Philippines Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide appealed to judges yesterday 'to keep calm' as the crisis over his impeachment neared boiling point.
The call came after allegations by a court interpreter that she was physically and verbally abused by Concepcion Alarcon-Vergara, a Regional Trial Court judge in Manila.
'She demanded to know why I was defending the rank and file [court workers] and pulled my hair,' said interpreter Catherine Loja, 41. 'I faced her, we argued and she slapped me on the left cheek.'
Ms Loja, who heads the court interpreters association, said she then dared the 64-year-old judge to slap her again, after which the judge allegedly threw a cigarette lighter at her and again pulled her hair. Judge Vergara had allegedly demanded Ms Loja reveal the identity of two court employees who were complaining about the judge's lack of support for the workers' allowances demand.
Meanwhile, Justice Davide, president of the 25,000-strong Alliance of Court Employees Association of the Philippines, said: 'Our association is appealing to judges to keep calm. Please do not use this kind of action ... because it might lead to a war against employees.'
It was the court employees' shrinking allowances that first triggered the impeachment complaint against Justice Davide, who now stands accused of misusing a 1.3 billion peso (HK$183 million) Judiciary Development Fund by diverting money for allowances and court equipment to build holiday homes and buy cars.
