Chief Justice’s answer taken out of context

I write in relation to Jerry Esplanada’s report titled “PH elaborates on sea row today” (Front Page, 7/13/15).

May I respectfully point out that the report took out of context Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno’s answers to the question posed by Nikko Dizon, regarding the role of the three justices at The Hague for the sea row hearing. Dizon was the only reporter who was able to ask the Chief Justice questions on July 11; she was right beside her and I was beside the Chief Justice, and I heard the entire interview.

In this connection, may I call attention to the news report “Why SC justices are in PH delegation at The Hague” (News, 7/11/15), where the Chief Justice’s answers to the question appeared verbatim.

The transcripts would bear out that Dizon’s questions to the Chief Justice on the sea row were informational. As to the role of the justices at The Hague, the Chief Justice gave an honest answer—she was not there and therefore, she could not explain what exactly it was that they were doing. It was in that context that she used the word “explain.” It certainly was not in the context presented in the Esplanada news report—i.e., that the justices at The Hague must explain what they were doing there.

It would have been better if the Esplanada report had just used the verbatim, unedited answer from the Chief Justice, as quoted in the Dizon report.

Also, the header, “They must explain,” was misleading and inaccurate. Again, the Chief Justice did not say the three justices needed to explain to the Court; she only said they could explain better what they actually were doing there.

—THEODORE O. TE, assistant court administrator and chief public information officer, Supreme Court of the Philippines