The Things I Learned From This Impeachment

          It's been four years since I last did a blog, and guess its time to post another and this time, the things I've learned during the 5 month impeachment process of the Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court.

          Beyond the myriad of legal lingo, the near endless posturing and that lawyers who become high magistrates can never ever have a career as actors, there have been countless learning curves that I have absorbed in the small gray matter inside my thick skull.

          In the last 5 months since the impeachment of Mr. Renato Corona started, the entire process showed me several realizations that can be achieved and certain facts that was not attained.

          At first, I was already tired of listening (again) to the entire process of impeachment with one particular issue that will disturb me for a long time – why does this nation keep putting people of questionable character in power?          

          There have been countless, albeit numerous times that the only thing you hear from the legislative branch is the word, impeachment. I will not give an evil eye at those who attempt to impeach questionable personalities since it is a part and parcel of this democracy, nor criticize Congress for dabbling much of its time in the impeachment processes more than their Constitutional mandate to legislate.

          Don’t we have qualified leaders who have spotless integrity, genuine patriotism to serve with an openly clean conscience who can effectively govern and lead? Is impeachment like our own little happy pill?

          In the last five months since the start of the ordeal of Mr. Corona, these are the basic things that I have learned:

1. If the House of Representative wants to get things down, the weight and varying political persuasions of its nearly 300 members can be swayed to “batten down the hatches” to sign an article(s) of impeachment without the benefit of a long tedious process of a hearing within the House Committee on Justice or the mandatory debates on the House floor. It took us one night of sleep to awaken that the Chief Justice has been impeached;
2. Without the hammering and polishing process done within a collegial body, an impeachment will have all sorts, including far ranging faults and loopholes that could breach the very thin line that protects one person’s Constitutionally guaranteed civil rights, rights to fair justice and be damned in the court of public perception;
3. In the years since I have gained discernment about life and society, I have never heard any members of the Supreme Court speak out in public except when working en banc to render a decision in finality over a case. It is to my own perception that to enter the halls of the Supreme Court, one is like climbing the hills to speak to a guru, where one asks one question, and 15 gurus will speak as one with an answer under the mantle of fairness, integrity and unquestionable wisdom. Issues that have been hounding this young republic’s society are resolved to a uniquely fair solution by 15 august members of judicial system. From thereon, these decisions become bible for future decisions, further enriching the Filipino legal system;
4. However, in the last five months, perceptions of a wise guru in the guise of the Chief Justice collapsed listening to Mr. Corona’s spawning of political vile and rhetoric. The man, despite the perceived “holier than though” aura is like any other man, for he too is a political animal with fangs and claws drawn, ready to slash his accuser. One can not blame Mr. Corona to answer and fight back, for it is his name and integrity is at stake. One spites one justice, spites all fifteen justices, and not to mention the institution representing the whole judiciary;
5. I also learned that passion and intense emotions could distort one reality. An impeachment is not a criminal or administrative process like as if it is practiced within the realm of real courts. An impeachment as defined in our Constitution and as practiced in this country is nothing more, nothing less than a political action. Despite all of the impassionate pleas for fairness and judiciousness, 22 current members of the Senate will look and review into the case on hand, examine the evidences and will render a political decision. What does one insignificant political animal like Mr. Corona do to radicalize the entire Philippine socio-political landscape? What is the real value of Mr. Corona in the balance of things?;
6. Members of Congress are terrible litigation lawyers. They became lawyers to enter politics and not to practice law. To become good law makers, they should have at least earned their day in court by practicing law. Days of seeing lawmakers in the mold and brilliance of a Diokno or Tañada is long gone. It would be a bit relieving to see just a very few good men (and women) in the halls of our Congress amidst the sea of posers and wannabes elected into office;
7. The cart is pushed by the donkey not the other way around. If we are too practice a little bit of judicial process starting with the investigation phase, it is disturbing to see and hear an accusation of a crime committed and later work on the discovery of the evidence of how the crime was made by the suspect. To revise this worn adage, “Innocent until proven guilty” into, “Guilty until proven otherwise,” or in the case of the last five months, ”Guilty, wait, we are still looking for the evidence.” It would have been more convincing from the very start if all the evidence was introduced in a proper fashion in order to establish the guilt and not the other way around. It is fortunate that in the course of impeachment process, Ombudsman and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales came forward to present the first and only damning evidence. Her integrity is not besmirched, while her evidence was gathered in a legally acceptable fashion. It is ironic that the damning evidence she presented was done as a witness, albeit, hostile witness of the defense;
8. Do not cross swords with a lady who does not salivate to become Chief Justice;
9. An accused, regardless of the title bestowed and authority upon him or her is like any other person – could be so full of one’s self. One can not dress an idiot into a business suit and pass him off as king of the world, for in time, the whole world will still see that he is still an idiot. To further add in my learning curve, and as I have said before, how does one catch a fish, particularly a smelly fish – by its mouth. As the lady who does not salivate to become Chief Justice presented a set of damning evidence, this resulted into a terribly bruised ego that led to the babbling of testimonies that further nailed the hammer into Mr. Corona’s legal career;
10. Pomp and arrogance will never appeal to a jury, nor crying, or even for that matter, acting like the underdog. Using the strategy of being the poor, the damned and the oppressed before a jury of long practicing and hardened politicians does not work;
11. Testifying before the Senate has severe health hazards and to be seen in a wheelchair is one overused excuse to gain sympathy. Frothing in the mount and having a demon possessed moment could work for the next person to face an impeachment;
12. “Rule of law based on my own set of laws (or interpretation)” is something that leaves a very vile taste in the mouth. When the lowly civil servant gets chastised and kicked out for being callous over their responsibility to declare their net worth, a high ranking official and for that matter, the highest magistrate of the land has an excuse for doing the same and claims innocence. This lame excuse finally blew the fuse of personal restraint. It does not take one to have a knowledge or degree in law to discern that this person is no longer fit to stay in his office. While others rant over the lack of purity and transparency of Mr. Corona’s accusers, if so, then impeach them too and let the one deserving of the public’s trust remain standing;
13. This impeachment process will not be the end of the entire process if we keep getting lemons to lead this country. History keeps repeating itself in very short cycles in this country and we do tend to experience amnesia each time we cast our votes to select the leaders of the land;
14. And finally, as I have learned long ago, after we are done with this impeachment process and Mr. Corona is indeed removed from office, the baby crab mentality for most who chants “rule of law” will find other childlike retorts and blame again the government. Those who blab the most and blame government, who proclaims has the profound prescription to better this society never served in government and is extremely comfortable and good at being bench warming hecklers.

We have seen stranger and weirder things happen in our political landscape and I believe there is more still to come, behind the live halls of events is a backroom where much of the “script” of Philippine politics is still being written by cigar puffing monkeys. ***