“We should not fear truth and justice or adherence to the rule of law and the good sense to strictly follow our Constitution.”
by Ducky Paredes
The argument that going against a Chief Justice, bringing him down and booting him out will weaken the judiciary and, especially, the Supreme Court, holds no water. No argument that will maintain corruption and wrong practice strengthens institutions. What strengthens our institutions is an adherence to our constitution and a respect for others. An impeachment strengthens our institutions; doing nothing in the face of clear wrongdoing weakens them.
Did we weaken our democracy when we marched in the streets, resulting in the collapse of a regime and the whole government? Are those countries and the whole geographical areas where the sun of the Arab Spring has shone weaker? Was Russia weakened by the collapse of the powerful and fearsome Union of the Socialist Soviet Republics (CCCP in Russian)? Of course not!
Freedom and Truth do not weaken countries and institutions. Corruption, falsehoods and wrong practice does.
We should not fear truth and justice or adherence to the rule of law and the good sense to strictly follow our Constitution. It is when we allow short cuts and practices that violate the spirit of our Constitution (even if what is written has not been strictly violated) that we weaken it and when we allow the termites of lawlessness to gnaw at our foundations.
If this CJ is faultless and he survives the impeachment, he would have the humility to have even more respect for the majesty of the rule of law.
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The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu City Chapter has issued a resolution calling on Chief Justice Renato Corona to take a leave of absence “to effectively dispel any doubt from his critics that he is using the Supreme Court as a veritable shield from his alleged acts of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust and graft and corruption.”
According to the Cebu IBP, it is by his doing so that the “Supreme Court as a venerable institution is saved from being dragged further into the present controversy.”
The group also urged the Senators to conduct the impeachment trial with utmost impartiality, setting aside partisan or political bias.
Further, the IBP chapter cites as its premises of it resolution:
“The Philippines is a democratic and republic state where separation of powers through the three branches of government is maintained and a system of checks and balances is necessary to ensure that ours remains to be a government of laws rather than of men;
“The 1987 Constitution is the highest law of the land which safeguards not only the basic rights of the Filipino people but also ensures public accountability and public trust as indispensable aspects of democracy.”
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Now that the prosecutors have the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth of Renato Corona from 2002 to 2010, the accountants among their fellow congressmen can go over these with a fine-tooth comb to se if there is anything amiss in the figures.
From these SALNs, we find Corona’s total net worth per year: 2002 – P14.96 million; 2003 – P7.359 million; 2004 – P7.359 million; 2005 – P8.359 million; 2006 – P9.559 million; 2007 – P11.059 million; 2008 – P12.559 million; 2009 – P14.559 million; and 2010 – P22.938 million.
As a virtual illiterate in making sense out of numbers, these figures don’t tell me anything even if the properties and incomes are listed. There are, however, enough congressmen who are successful businessmen and even some accountants. They probably can go over these SALNs and come to some conclusions.
In the 2002 SALN, two lots were acquired — one donated and another purchased. In 2003, he lists a house and lot donated to him in 1970, land, a condominium unit acquired in 1997 and another piece of land bought in 2003. Corona did not list any acquisitions in his 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 SALNs.
In the 2010 SALN, he lists additional properties — a condominium unit in Makati acquired in 2003 for P726,000 (current market value: P1.2 million); a condominium unit in Taguig acquired in 2004 and another condominium unit acquired in 2010.
According to the SALNs, all properties were acquired on installment.
Still, one has to fault the impeachment complaint that singled out the Chief Justice for failing to “disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth as required by the Constitution.”
After all, isn’t this true of all our judges and justices and others in our judiciary who were only following a resolution of the Supreme Court that was never challenged by anyone?
Shouldn’t the cure for this have come from Congress, which should have passed legislation that would have overturned the SC resolution on this matter that is clearly contrary to the provisions of our Constitution?
In fact, one has to wonder, since even the 188 congressmen who signed on to the Corona impeachment have been keeping their own SALNs secret, how our congress will ever pass legislation mandating freedom of information (FOI) in our country.
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“I didn’t think he was fit to be named to the judiciary and his judgment is not fit for a chief justice. Maybe as a member. He is a far cry from previous Chief Justices like Roberto Concepcion who were never seen and heard, they were just read.” – Former Senator Rene Saguisag
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hvp 01.19.12
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