SERENO AS CJ

The President's choice of former Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has been very widely expected -- in fact, ever since she wrote her dissenting view against  the high court's decision approving the P40T-per hectare compensation for the Hacienda Luisita, as against her own view recommending several billions.

At any rate, it is not only Sereno that will be put on challenge, it would also be the other Justices who, whether one admits it or not, have been extremely demoralized by Sereno's appointment. 
Whether or not Sereno would be able to get the other fourteen Justices to her side, not only with respect to the Hacienda Luisita case but with respect to many other issues pending in the high court, is going to be a big challenge for Sereno and for the other Justices himself.

One recalls that during Corona's impeachment trial, the emerging impression was that Corona had been behind several previous SJ decisions not favorable to the administration.  Meaning Corona had been dictating his very own thinking on such court rulings.  Now, the big questions cannot but curiously come out to the fore:  1) Suppose Sereno fails to convince the other Justices to toe in what she thinks is right, as reflected by her dissenting views, does she succeed or fail in her job as SC.  or 2) the other way around happened, meaning she was able to get the high court to flip-flop on certain previous decision in favor of the administration, does that mean the President was right in choosing her as CJ?

In fairness to the President, the fact that, as he says, he only has a very small share remaining Hacienda Luisita, may not be enough reason -- well, as yet --to accuse him of being personally biased in naming Sereno the next CJ.

At any rate, it is too early to judge Sereno's and the President's good or bad faith in this regard.
And so, Abangan!