CITIZEN Y
By Yoly Villanueva-Ong
The Philippine Star
The Philippine Star
“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is”. — Winston Churchill
In the warped world of Philippine politics, calling-a-spade-a-spade is often branded “impolite, undiplomatic and un-statesmanlike.” Following this logic and giving politicians the benefit of the doubt that they can recognize truth, do they believe that observing politesse is more important than telling the truth?
The criticism against President Aquino at the Justice Summit was that he disrespected the Tribunal by rebuking them within hearing distance. No one argues that what he said was true. Just that it was not the right place. One trapo pointed out that the Judiciary is a co-equal branch, implying that it cannot be castigated. A so-called constitutionalist likened PNoy to Fidel Castro. The “Media-pit-bulls” are barking away.
In the plastic world of politics, euphemisms abound. Diplomacy is synonymous with doublespeak, hypocrisy and outright deceit. Backstabbing, backbiting, backchannels, backroom deals are default modes of behavior. Confronting truth and telling it in-your-face is sacrilege. Nothing addles a politician more than being cornered frontally and hearing his sins publicly.
The Chief Justice supposedly scored points for maintaining his cool. But wasn’t it more like the-cat-got-his-tongue after a public censure? Even “kapal-muks” has limits after all.
He is not often tongue-tied. At the oral arguments on the DOJ watch-list orders against the Arroyos, Corona was hot-under-the-collar. He lashed out at SolGen Joel Cadiz, “Imagine six or seven years from now, if a person is being hounded by their political enemies with the same vigor as you have, don’t you think it would be incumbent to this Court to give their constitutional right the same importance we are giving them today.”
The well-oiled propaganda machinery of the former-possibly-fake-president is working overtime, unsubtly attempting to turn mistress and minion into underdogs. Amazingly, even their sound bytes are alike. Under hospital arrest in the newly refurbished suite at Veterans Hospital, Arroyo professed, “My conscience is clean”. Corona pontificates, “We decide cases according to the Constitution, the law, and our conscience”. Their consciences must be related.
Senator Frank Drilon compiled the list of 19 cases revealing Corona’s voting record:
1) Concurred in the Dec. 7, 2010 SC ruling declaring the Truth Commission unconstitutional.
2) Concurred in the Oct. 10, 2010 decision stopping the Aquino administration from revoking the appointment of Arroyo midnight appointees.
3) Concurred in the April 7, 2010 ruling denying the petition of then Sen. Noynoy Aquino and upholding RA 9716 that divided Camarines Sur into First and Second Districts.
4) Concurred in the decision reversing its previous decision that Sandiganbayan can try former Rep. Kokoy Romualdez, whose son is a known Arroyo-ally.
5) Concurred in the Feb. 11, 2009 decision upholding the validity of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and ordering the transfer of US serviceman and rape convict Daniel Smith to a Philippine detention facility.
6) Dissented in the October 14, 2008 decision declaring as “contrary to law and the Constitution” the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) entered into by Arroyo’s peace negotiators with MILF.
7) Concurred with the July 16, 2008 decision declaring as covered by executive privilege and not subject to public disclosure — communications on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement signed by Arroyo and former Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi on September 9, 2006.
Concurred with the March 25, 2009 decision stating that then SSS Chairman Romulo Neri was not liable for contempt for not appearing in the Senate hearings of the NBN-ZTE scandal because of executive privilege.
9) Dissented in the February 15, 2008 decision declaring that the wiretapped “Hello Garci” conversation was not prohibited from broadcast.
10) Dissented in the May 3, 2006 decision declaring Arroyo’s Presidential Proclamation 1017 that placed the country under a state of national emergency on March 2006 as “partly constitutional, partly unconstitutional”.
11) Dissented in the October 25, 2006 decision dismissing the pro-Arroyo Sigaw ng Bayan’s petition to allow a people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution due to failure to comply with Constitutional requirements.
12) Concurred in the Aug. 15, 2006 decision declaring as valid, Arroyo’s gag-order prohibiting executive and military officials from appearing before congressional investigations without the president’s consent.
13) Concurred in the April 20, 2006 decision upholding the controversial EO 464 that allowed Malacanang officials to refuse to testify in congressional investigations invoking executive privilege.
14) Concurred with the April 19, 2006 cases declaring as valid, Arroyo’s EO 420 to establish a national ID policy.
15) Concurred in the December 13, 2005 decision allowing Arroyo to appoint “in an acting capacity” without seeking confirmation from the Commission on Appointments.
16) Concurred in the October 18, 2005 decision declaring as constitutional, RA 9337, the VAT Reform Act.
17) Dissented in the March 2, 2004 ruling dismissing petitions to disqualify then presidential aspirant FPJ because he was not a natural born citizen.
18) Concurred with the Feb. 3, 2004 decision declaring that Arroyo did not exceed her powers in issuing Proclamations 427, 435 and General Order No. 4 declaring a state of rebellion during the Oakwood Mutiny.
19) Dissented in the January 13, 2004 decision voiding the contract entered by COMELEC and Mega-Pacific firm for not going through the required public bidding.
The label “Coronarroyo” seems well-deserved.
Ten separate motions were filed to inhibit Corona from Arroyo’s petition questioning the legality of the DOJ-Comelec panel probing the alleged 2007/2004-poll fraud. The extraordinarily close professional and political relationship between Corona and Arroyo was cited. He was her chief-of-staff, presidential legal counsel, and executive secretary. Violating the law on midnight appointees, Arroyo appointed Corona chief justice on May 2010, a move deemed to protect her from accountability after presidential immunity lapses.
Sadly, it looks like brazenness will once again prevail. “The fact that he is still part of the deliberations means he has chosen to stay,” declared SC spokesman Midas Marquez. Conscience-malfunction.
Filipinos chose Truth over politics. Asked “Was it good for P-Noy to speak honestly about his differences with the SC at the justice summit”? Online poll results: Yes, 73.63%; No, 18.06%; Wrong venue, 7.46%; No opinion 0.85%
As Michael Levy noted, “You can bend it and twist it… misuse it and abuse it…but even God cannot change the truth.”
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