I wrote a
lengthy blog on the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona, but sent it off
into the cosmos, bits and bytes strewn across the great ionic wasteland. I was
only saying what everyone else was saying.
If I step
back, I would cite the following observations, those of an outsider, easily
dismissed:
- Democracy remains healthy when checks and balances keep it steady. Impeachment is a legal process, a check, a balance, against an officeholder who may have placed his well-being, or the well-being of his friends, above that of the people. If the accused did no wrong, the process will bear that out. The process ought to be respected. It is the law. It is healthy.
- Judges must at all costs retain an aura of impartiality. Attorneys are advocates. They need not retain an aura of impartiality. Judges who accept midnight appointments ought to know full well how that appointment will register with those who want judges who are better than the rest of us at maintaining balance, objectivity, perspective, and calm. The former chief of staff of the appointing president was made Chief Justice. The APPEARANCE of favor is gross and unsightly. An apolitical appointment would be a professor of law or a well-respected working judge, or any number of people not tainted by appearances.
- President Aquino did not make this ill-appearing appointment. President Aquino did not hold a midnight raid on the Constitution or hand out bags of cash to legislators. President Aquino did not try to run from the country on the apparent pretext of medical need. President Aquino is charged with the heavy responsibility of stopping these kinds of shenanigans. Doing nothing would be absolutely irresponsible. Why would anyone argue that he should do nothing?
- The Philippine judiciary is fundamentally a poorly run mess of inefficient, ponderous, political, corrupt incompetency that does not even give most people access to its services. It is a disgusting institution masked as righteous by old farts and fartresses of little humility. It is an institution that has no idea about accepting accountability for its condition. It also has some good people within its ranks, but they are overwhelmed by the weight of the sludge that is the system of favoritism and self-dealing.
- Many, many Filipinos are inherently defensive and see ill motive in any criticism. They fail to find respect for any person making any criticism. Court workers who march against the legal process of impeachment show themselves to be Filipino in character; they would undermine the very legal process they are charged with protecting and advancing to try diminish the legitimate critics who have hurt their feelings. They should refer back to item one, checks and balances, and acquire the dignity of someone who respects legal processes, which are contentious by design.
The impeachment process is a show that ignorance, violation of rule-of-law is not limited to my favorite fish and balut vendor but goes all the way up to foreign-educated ivy-school Harvard Filipino graduates:
ReplyDeleteThis is a very common comments from arrogant arrogant, stuck-up, condescending columnmists down to Filipino commentators of their articles, "Why would Corona deserve rule-of-justice when he himself violated the rule-of-law?".
This has deep roots in religion, "An Eye for An Eye ... ". If Filipino or other inhabitants of the world violates the rule-of-law their rights should also be violated.
The anti-benign0 and pro-Arroyo knows very well that this goofy impeachment process would not prosper if it were tried in America where the prosecutors went to study, for one:
The pro-benign0 has none of Corona's argument that the 188 congressmen did not read the impeachment articles, indexes and addendums as thick as 10 stack of bibles in one day. This is absolutely true. THEY DID NOT READ IT! But they allowed the impeachment to proceed. Why would Corona question its constitutionality when Corona violated the constitution himself?
It is "violence begets violence". Very common mantra of 3rdworld mental state. So, this process perpetuates and legalizes the skirting of the law because the person tried is a criminal.
Therefore, why bother at all this moro-moro impeachment? Why not save the Philippines from the cost? Because it is entertainment. Filipinos get entertained and to buy time that the economy is sinking as fast as that Cruise Ship in Tuscany.
Another ignorance these prosecutors that American judges would die laughing is subpoena of relatives and children's financial assets. Americans did not subpoena Madoff children's assets so was Blago. Kooky Filipinos, indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnother queer and quirky decision was "not to talk about the case". In America it is already a given that prosecutors and defense do not talk about the case. When asked by their media they would say, "I cannot comment on this it is up to the court". Again, this is the Philippines where geniuses lives.
They have gazillions of accusation on Gloria but so far two were filed the rest were just unsubstantiated gossips. The two are evidence-challenged ZTE. Their proofs are affidavits, bumbling idiots that fall on each other to clear their name instead of shut-up so as not to incriminate themselves AND corrupt witnesses who saw envlopes handed-over in Wak-Wak fairways and meetings behind the walls. And the clencher of their proofs based on comments and "analysis" from columnists "Gloria stopped the ZTE project"! WoW! Brilliant
On "hello garci", idiocy in the Philippines is so entrenched and has already took root in their DNAs. Some wacko PMAyer ordered his fellow PMAyer to burn the tape after it was presented to the public. And the Senate, the pagarparings and dal-dal house, did not subpoena the tape before it was burned. The PMAyer are still commanding battalions. This PMAyer should be put under the command of Brigadier General Manny Pacquiao.
ReplyDeletebenign0 is an honest president. But what good is honesty if 99.999% of Filipinos are thinking that their action is "honesty" and "good intention within the rule-of-law"?
ReplyDeleteBut this is a good show for prime time with news anchors and screaming in the tube. At least Filipinos wouldn't know that the boat is sinking until they are in the water.
In as much as I wanted Chief Justice Corona to go on leave while the telenovela entertainment is being performed and shot he is not! Again, his action, not only his own, but the rest of the crooks out there sitting in the government has its basis in religion. Priest pedophiles and child molestors do not resign. The crime gets covered-up and the criminal priests just get transferred then wait until they get caught. I just realized that Philippines are not shinto believers. Filipinos believe that going on leave or resignation is an acceptance of their guilt. So, they hang on. Resignation or taking a leave of absence is a sign of weakness. Filipino culture in the works.
ReplyDeleteMariano, "All the world is a stage . . ." and President Aquino and the Senate and Chief Justice but player on it. Shakespeare would be highly amused, I'm sure. He always saw the comedy in tragedy . . .
ReplyDeletePoint number 4 can actually be (INSERT GOV'T BRANCH NAME HERE). PNoy is trying hard to be a new face for something old. I won't buy his act just yet.
ReplyDeleteEssentially, the Philippines is run by old farts and fogies. I'll put government as the extreme manifestation of the Pinoy's character of "puwede na" or "that will do for the meantime" in English. Imho, it's more like "puwede pa" or "that will always have to do unless you can prove to me that it's really broken." That is why almost everything you see that gov't does is a knee jerk reaction.
brianitus, and the people insist on electing a boxer and the wife of a dictator and associates and family members. I guess their power is too much for capable young go-getters to get past.
ReplyDeletebenign0 is swimming against the tide. The current is strong. I wish he is a strong swimmer. Lookit, those fogies and fart in the prosecuting chamber against Cheap Justice Corona. They are bunch of bumbling clueless old farts. They are on fishing expedition. They thought they can nail Corona to the cross. It boomeranged on them.
DeleteThey cajoled, beg, bargain, threaten Enriqueta for Corona's SALN when it is a law handed down by previous Cheap Justice Fernan that releasing SALN should be before approval of Justice in Bank. Can't they understand this? These wackos are thinking and that is their prevailing mental state that they can bargain away the laws.
Pull a Filipino blowing thru a STOP sign in the middle of lonely stretch of road in the night they'll argue, beg and bargain that it is known that there are no people crossing the street in this time of the night.
Compare that to America, they are stopped and no need to bargain because laws in AMerica is black&White no shades of gray.
Erap was right, Laws in the Philippines is weder-weder lang yan.
You can put PNoy under that light.
DeleteHe basically is giving GMA too much credit. He's basically declared himself powerless unless he manages to finish her off. How stupid is that?
I mean, jail the corrupt, but not having any economic gains to show for after more than a year of service? That's just damn unacceptable. GMA and PNoy are a cut of the same cloth. GMA fed us with her damn GDP numbers. PNoy feeds us his damn surveys. Like it's easier for the poor to accept their state if they know they have a popular president. I'd like to see them throw those numbers in a stew pot to feed the hungry.
Sorry for venting my displeasure here, Joe.
brianitus, you make important points. Survey results are like smoke and maybe even mirrors. How about being straight with people instead of blowing smoke. It is a legitimate criticism of President Aquino.
ReplyDeleteAnd you know he hates criticism. Some people around him are aware of that. Classic example of blowing smoke is how he reacts whenever criticism centers around the economy. That thick BS can be cut up and served for breakfast, lunch and dinner for those emo-driven and blind.
DeleteThat popularity is worthless if he doesn't rally this country to do something great. It's always about what he wants to do and how great his term is. He said before that the Filipino can dream again. Maybe that's all this country will ever do -- DREAM.
I believe in benign0's intent but the means are suspicious that is just perpetuating what benign0 is against. What is causing this is the ignorance of "lawmakers" and televised to the whole world that laws can be cajoled, bargained for and threatened in direct violation of the same law that they want followed.
ReplyDeleteFilipinos has no business running a government. They are just democratically and religiously irresponsible. Since Filipinos cannot all go to civilized nations, IT IS BEST PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT IS TO BE OUTSOURCED SOMEPLACE for a start then give the rein of government to 2nd generation Filipinos. The 1st generation Filipnios is just so corrupt.
And, oh, outsource the Philippine Media first or simply Ampatuanize them. They do not know what ethical standard is.