With the conviction of former Chief Justice Renato Corona by the Senate impeachment court, the question arises: "What now?"
Now, it's time for the House and the Senate to take a look at some of the laws that were shown to be problematic in the course of the impeachment trial, notably RA 6426, or the Foreign Currency Deposit Act, and RA 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials. Hopefully, Congress can amend these laws so that the exploitation of such, not only by Corona but also by numerous public officials, will be limited if not removed. This, of course, is on top of continuing to craft laws that will benefit our country.
Now, it's time for the Supreme Court Justices to be more transparent; apparently, that 1989 resolution making it difficult to impossible in obtaining their statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) is no longer valid. As I write this, my news feed reports that the Supreme Court has decided to release the justices' and judges' 2011 SALN in the spirit of transparency and accountability. Now, if only the legislative and executive branches of government do the same.
Now, it's time for the Aquino government to put its money where its mouth is and get to the work of fulfilling the various promises President Noynoy Aquino made when he was elected. There is a perception that the reason why the President and his merry men went after Corona and his patron, former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was that the Aquino administration had no concrete plans for the nation. Now is the time for the President to prove this perception wrong.
And for the Filipino people? We must remain vigilant, and continue to hold our public officials accountable. We must be more mature in our political decisions. We have to remember that electing officials is a two-way thing; we don't just vote and let our politicians and public officials do whatever they please. Part of being in a democracy is that we have to make our voices heard, so that our officials, both elected and appointed, are aware that they are our servants, not our lords and masters.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Corona Impeachment Trial: Guilty!
Yesterday, after I wrote a post about the then-upcoming Senate vote on the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, one of my cousins asked me what the probable outcome would be. I then replied that it would be a majority vote, but not enough to convict Corona. The reason for this is that there were several Senators, of whose vote I was unsure, so I guess I hedged my bet.
In this case, it's nice to be wrong.
With a vote of 20-3, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to convict the Chief Justice for not having disclosed his dollar and peso accounts. With the decision, the Chief Justice is effectively removed from office, and barred from holding any elective or government-appointed jobs.
For the three (Arroyo, Defensor-Santiago, and Marcos) who voted to acquit the Chief Justice, they cited the lack of due process in the filing of the impeachment charges by the House of Representatives and their perception that the omission of the dollar and peso accounts, amounting to $2.4 million and P80 million respectively, from the Chief Justice's statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) was based in what was provided for by law.
On the other hand, the 20 senators who voted to convict the Chief Justice cited the omission as a glaring fault, and noted that the Supreme Court itself has fired court employees for failing to list lesser amounts in their SALNs. One common citation was that of Delsa Flores, a court interpreter who, in 1997, failed to list a market stall in her SALN. The Senators argued along the lines of, "If Flores was dismissed for such an omission, what more the Chief Justice for omitting millions of dollars and pesos?"
A number of the 20 senators also expressed their belief that the oft-cited RA 6426, or the Foreign Currency Deposit Act (FCDA), which required "absolute confidentiality", was in conflict with the later RA 6713, the law which created the SALN. At the same time, some senators noted that Corona could have still listed the dollar accounts in his SALN, if only in peso equivalents. As for the P80 million "commingled" account, he could have listed it as well, and cited his relatives as liabilities in his SALN.
I managed to watch the entire proceedings, from the vote of Senator Angara to the vote of Senator Villar. I was impressed at how the Senator-judges were careful in explaining their votes, as their professionalism contrasted sharply with the prosecution's ineptitude. While some may cry partisan politics, I saw little of the sort in yesterday's vote, except maybe for Senator Franklin Drilon, who has made no effort of hiding his biases. Each Senator, including the now-popular Senator Lito Lapid, explained his or her vote sufficiently, and made an effort to clarify their reasons. I also liked Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile's summation, wherein he lambasted the prosecution for their shoddy work, but, in the end, voted for conviction.
Ironically, it was the Chief Justice himself who provided the rope to hang himself, by admitting his omissions; many of the Senators who voted for conviction cited this as one of their reasons. If he had not testified and staged his walkout, it is likely that the voting would have been a lot closer to my initial prediction.
With the impeachment trial over, the real work now begins. As the now-former Chief Justice was held accountable for not having disclosed his true SALN, we must now work to hold all public officials to the same bar. Public officials themselves should be forthright in disclosing their SALNs. If we don't, then we will have learned nothing from the past four months and 44 actual trial days of this impeachment trial. If we do, then our country will be one step closer to political maturity.
In this case, it's nice to be wrong.
With a vote of 20-3, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to convict the Chief Justice for not having disclosed his dollar and peso accounts. With the decision, the Chief Justice is effectively removed from office, and barred from holding any elective or government-appointed jobs.
For the three (Arroyo, Defensor-Santiago, and Marcos) who voted to acquit the Chief Justice, they cited the lack of due process in the filing of the impeachment charges by the House of Representatives and their perception that the omission of the dollar and peso accounts, amounting to $2.4 million and P80 million respectively, from the Chief Justice's statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) was based in what was provided for by law.
On the other hand, the 20 senators who voted to convict the Chief Justice cited the omission as a glaring fault, and noted that the Supreme Court itself has fired court employees for failing to list lesser amounts in their SALNs. One common citation was that of Delsa Flores, a court interpreter who, in 1997, failed to list a market stall in her SALN. The Senators argued along the lines of, "If Flores was dismissed for such an omission, what more the Chief Justice for omitting millions of dollars and pesos?"
A number of the 20 senators also expressed their belief that the oft-cited RA 6426, or the Foreign Currency Deposit Act (FCDA), which required "absolute confidentiality", was in conflict with the later RA 6713, the law which created the SALN. At the same time, some senators noted that Corona could have still listed the dollar accounts in his SALN, if only in peso equivalents. As for the P80 million "commingled" account, he could have listed it as well, and cited his relatives as liabilities in his SALN.
I managed to watch the entire proceedings, from the vote of Senator Angara to the vote of Senator Villar. I was impressed at how the Senator-judges were careful in explaining their votes, as their professionalism contrasted sharply with the prosecution's ineptitude. While some may cry partisan politics, I saw little of the sort in yesterday's vote, except maybe for Senator Franklin Drilon, who has made no effort of hiding his biases. Each Senator, including the now-popular Senator Lito Lapid, explained his or her vote sufficiently, and made an effort to clarify their reasons. I also liked Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile's summation, wherein he lambasted the prosecution for their shoddy work, but, in the end, voted for conviction.
Ironically, it was the Chief Justice himself who provided the rope to hang himself, by admitting his omissions; many of the Senators who voted for conviction cited this as one of their reasons. If he had not testified and staged his walkout, it is likely that the voting would have been a lot closer to my initial prediction.
With the impeachment trial over, the real work now begins. As the now-former Chief Justice was held accountable for not having disclosed his true SALN, we must now work to hold all public officials to the same bar. Public officials themselves should be forthright in disclosing their SALNs. If we don't, then we will have learned nothing from the past four months and 44 actual trial days of this impeachment trial. If we do, then our country will be one step closer to political maturity.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Corona Impeachment Trial: Moment of Truth
The moment of truth has come for Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona and the nation. In a few hours, the Senate will cast a historical vote in the Chief Justice's impeachment trial, and determine whether Corona will be convicted for betraying the public trust.
Over a period of almost five months, and 43 actual trial days, we Filipinos listened to both the prosecution and the defense present their respective cases. We saw the prosecution's inexperience in trial court lead to blunder after blunder. We saw how the defense utilized legal technicalities to block various moves by the prosecution. We saw witness after witness testify over the various possessions of the Chief Justice. We saw how Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales testify over the Chief Justice's dollar accounts. We saw the Chief Justice testify in person, only to lash out at the people he perceived to be persecuting him, and then stage an abrupt walkout. Finally, we listened yesterday to the closing arguments of both sides, and were entertained by Congressman Farinas' use of the word "palusot", and defense lawyer Dennis Manalo's exacting questions. And, with that, the case presentation phase of the impeachment trial came to an end.
Now, we wait as the Senators study the evidence, and weigh both sides, and finally cast their vote. Hopefully, they will keep their eyes and ears open to the pulse of the nation, and cast a vote that reflects that pulse.
The thing about impeachment is that it's not just a legal case, although the defense would probably prefer to limit it to that. Impeachment is about determining whether a high official is fit for the job he or she is holding, and the legal wrangling is simply not going to be sufficient to determine that. The questions remaining for the Senators is this: Was it right for Chief Justice Corona not to have declared his dollar accounts and P80-million bank account in his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN)? Is he still fit to remain as Chief Justice?
Those are the questions that need to be answered as the Senators cast their vote at 2:00 p.m. later.
Over a period of almost five months, and 43 actual trial days, we Filipinos listened to both the prosecution and the defense present their respective cases. We saw the prosecution's inexperience in trial court lead to blunder after blunder. We saw how the defense utilized legal technicalities to block various moves by the prosecution. We saw witness after witness testify over the various possessions of the Chief Justice. We saw how Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales testify over the Chief Justice's dollar accounts. We saw the Chief Justice testify in person, only to lash out at the people he perceived to be persecuting him, and then stage an abrupt walkout. Finally, we listened yesterday to the closing arguments of both sides, and were entertained by Congressman Farinas' use of the word "palusot", and defense lawyer Dennis Manalo's exacting questions. And, with that, the case presentation phase of the impeachment trial came to an end.
Now, we wait as the Senators study the evidence, and weigh both sides, and finally cast their vote. Hopefully, they will keep their eyes and ears open to the pulse of the nation, and cast a vote that reflects that pulse.
The thing about impeachment is that it's not just a legal case, although the defense would probably prefer to limit it to that. Impeachment is about determining whether a high official is fit for the job he or she is holding, and the legal wrangling is simply not going to be sufficient to determine that. The questions remaining for the Senators is this: Was it right for Chief Justice Corona not to have declared his dollar accounts and P80-million bank account in his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN)? Is he still fit to remain as Chief Justice?
Those are the questions that need to be answered as the Senators cast their vote at 2:00 p.m. later.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Back in the Saddle?
Well, it's been over a month, and, while I have managed to keep up with the news, writing about it has been problematic due to the lack of time. I don't regret it, though; having a new addition to the family does that. Right now, I'm able to write since my baby daughter is currently asleep, but I don't know for how long, so I'll try to keep this short. Hopefully, though, I'll be able to go back to regular writing (such as it is) once her sleep patterns become more predictable.
In the interim, I've missed out on writing about a number of topics, such as:
So, here's hoping that I can keep writing regularly en route to this blog's 8th anniversary in June.
In the interim, I've missed out on writing about a number of topics, such as:
- The Supreme Court decision on the valuation of Hacienda Luisita, and its implications;
- The ongoing squabble between the Philippines and China over Scarborough Shoal;
- The resumption of the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona;
- The passing of Thomas Kinkaide, the self-proclaimed "Painter of Light" and children's book artist Maurice Sendak;
- My take on "The Hunger Games" and "The Avengers" movies;
- The ongoing NBA playoffs, and
- The ongoing fallout from celebrity altercations.
So, here's hoping that I can keep writing regularly en route to this blog's 8th anniversary in June.
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