Treason: A crime greater than corruption
The Supreme Court marathon hearing on Romulo Neri’s petition has raised thought-provoking questions, specifically on why taking the witness stand in the Senate hearings would jeopardize diplomatic relations with
It can be recalled that the Philippines signed an agreement with China in 2004 for the joint exploration of the Spratlys in search of oil and gas – a move which greatly upset the other claimants particularly Vietnam because it strengthened Chinese claims while it undermined the other nations’ claims such as Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and Brunei.
Conspiracy theorists have pointed out in the past that the 2004 agreement was an alleged act of bribery made by the Chinese government for us to drop our claim on the
Which reminds us of
The Spratlys have long been the source of tension not only between the claimants and the ASEAN region, but is also an issue that concerns the
If indeed the ZTE and other Chinese-funded government projects involved under-the-table deals, undermining our sovereignty and imperiling our patrimony, then checking out these allegations should be made a priority. Perhaps the Senate can look at the big picture instead of focusing on piecemeal investigations, and not depend entirely on so-called “heroes” and questionable characters and witnesses to provide them with the “truth.” There could be something bigger here other than the simple “truth.”
What is important at this point is to find out if indeed, the crime of treason was committed, and by whom. We must not work from supposition and conjecture, jumping to conclusions by mere dint of circumstances. There has to be incontrovertible proof, and it can only be done through the legal process.
At the end of the day, these allegations should be brought to the Supreme Court for final judgment. We’re lucky the SC, in particular Chief Justice Reynato Puno has credibility and enjoys a very high trust rating by Filipinos. He has an impeccable record of coming out with landmark decisions in his long career as an officer of the court. With Justice Puno at the helm, all of us have some hope that we have a court of last resort which can resolve major issues peacefully, without us always having to go to the streets every time accusations are made.
There are many Judases in this country, willing to commit the crime of treason for just a few pieces of silver. Most of them have gone scot-free. Worse than corruption, treason is a bigger crime because it betrays the people and undermines our sovereignty as a nation – with consequences far greater than we could ever imagine.
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