BY AMADO P. MACASAET
MALAYA
‘And it’s a no-brainer to say that Mr. Corona, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court knew about the appointment of his wife to Camp John Hay.’
JUDGES shall not allow family, social, or other relationship to influence judicial conduct or judgment. The prestige of judicial office shall not be used or lent to advance the private interest of others …”
So says the Code of Judicial Conduct.
Chief Justice Renato C. Corona, the records show, appears to be the main violator of this provision of the Code.
On March 23, 2007, Cristina Roco, wife of then Associate Justice Renato Corona, accepted an appointment from then President Gloria Arroyo to be member of the board of Camp John Hay Management Corp.
But the board of directors of JHMC passed a resolution withdrawing the election to the board and appointment of Mrs. Corona. .
As is the usual wording for similar acts in government agencies, the reason for the board action might have been “misconduct and negligence.”
One of the acts interpreted as misconduct was the alleged refusal of Mrs. Corona to sign the minutes of the board meetings of Camp John Hay.
And it’s a no-brainer to say that Mr. Corona, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court knew about the appointment of his wife to Camp John Hay.
He must also have known the withdrawal of her appointment as director and president of the government-owned corporation for unflattering reasons to her and to the justice himself.
Going straight to the point, Mr. Corona, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court violated the Code of Judicial Ethics when he allowed the appointment of his wife to a key position in a government-owned corporation.
I dare say that Mrs. Corona committed other grave abuses of her position in Camp John Hay Management Corp. when she refused to hold office in Baguio City, the official site of her office.
Instead she chose to work in Quezon City. As a result, the government is said to have spent more than P600,000 in rentals and maybe payment of salaries of a second staff.
Then President Arroyo was unusually sympathetic to Mrs. Corona. She asked the board of directors of the company to tender their resignations after it passed a resolution questioning the acts of the wife of Mr. Justice Corona.
The only interpretation we can give to this act of kindness is that Gloria Arroyo was trying to “buy” the loyalty of Mr. Corona. Such loyalty, by design or otherwise, is clearly shown in the voting pattern of Justice Corona in cases where Malacañang or Mrs. Arroyo or her politics or her fortune is involved.
I will detail the voting record if Midas Marquez, SC administrator and spokesman dares me to do so. If detailing all these is reason for the Court to find me in contempt, I will face the justices squarely.
My interest is not the impeachment of Chief Justice Corona. My only interest is to let people know that while the job of the Court is defending the Constitution and the laws and their behavior is guided by the straight and narrow Code of Judicial Ethics, it just happened that the Chief Magistrate himself is not showing the way.
If nobody complains against these violations, let no one expect any member of the Court to move against their Chief. If nobody, even a scavenger, files a complaint of whatever color against the Chief Justice, let us stop hoping that democracy will regain the health it lost during the Arroyo regime.
Democracy is walking fast to its grave. The person who is supposed to defend it with his life, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, may not even know about it. Or maybe he has closed his eyes to it.
I do not know of any sanctions imposed on such violation by a member of the Court who is now Chief Magistrate. Where I sit the violation of the Code is offensive to self-respect.
But the Court has a record of protecting its own.
Is violating the Judicial Code of Conduct and lack of self-respect ground to impeach the Chief Justice? I should think it is because abuse of authority or using it for the benefit of relatives, particularly, a wife, is betrayal of trust so specifically prohibited by the Judicial Code of Ethics.
Not being a lawyer, I could very well be wrong. I have no information whether or not President Aquino or some lovers of straight-jacket justice even think of using the offense as a ground to ask somebody, just about anybody, to file an impeachment complaint against the Chief Justice.
Many months ago, I was summoned by a leader of the Liberal Party of which President Aquino is the titular head to be told that two members of the Court will face impeachment complaints.
He went on to say that the Chief Justice will be next. Again, I have no information if there is any complaint, filed against the two justices with the Justice Committee of the House.
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