https:// sputniknews.com/society/201805121064399872-After-Firing-Top-Judge-Duterte-Gains-Control-of-all-Branches-of-Philippine-Govt/

Following demands from the executive branch, Manila's Supreme Court voted Friday to remove the nation's top judge — appointed by the previous administration — labeled an "enemy" by Duterte after consistently voting against the president's policies, including the use of torture and mass killing to stem the country's rampant drug trade.

The ouster of the country's first woman chief justice, Maria Lourdes Sereno, is seen by opposition political parties in the country as the elimination of a final shield against government corruption and human rights abuses, leaving only a "puppet Supreme Court" that acts at the behest of the autocratic Duterte.

Alleging violations in the process that saw Sereno appointed to the top spot in 2013, Manila's Supreme Court appeared to rubber stamp a petition from Duterte's administration seeking her removal, according to Reuters.