The impeachment process mandated by the Constitution must be allowed to take its course without the judiciary and the nation being polarized.

Spectacles in the hallowed grounds of the Supreme Court where court personnel wearing red shirts and neckties demand for Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to resign exacerbate the conflict even as the call is made in the presence of a majority of the justices.

Justices must maintain their dignity, impartiality and self-respect rather than show support for divisive activism against the chief magistrate.

Judges and personnel of lower courts must resist pressure for them to join the fray.

Contrasting commentaries on the issues are welcome as exercise of free speech, but blatant displays of antagonism must be reined in and avoided, particularly when they are the result of pressure and partisanship.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN