Breathtaking scenes in the Impeachment Court - JAYWALKER by Art A. Borjal

Suspenseful moments from unexpected episodes have turned the Impeachment Trial of President Estrada into one of the greatest blockbuster telenovelas in the history of Philippine television. Those were gripping scenes that great film scriptwriters or directors would have found terribly hard to conceptualize. And these scenes must have kept viewers sitting on the edge of their seats, or holding back their breath, as they awaited what would eventually unfold.

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Look back at the following suspense-filled episodes:

• The testimony of Clarissa Ocampo. Would she finally be allowed to tell what she knew? Would Chief Justice Davide finally say, "Overruled"? And would she now say who was Jose Velarde?

• Caridad Rodenas told to identify Delia Rajas. Was she going to find Delia in the gallery? Was her credibility going to be shattered? A collective sigh of relief came from the viewers after it was uncovered that Defense counsel Sigfrid Fortun had played a "dirty trick."

• The cross-examination of Emma Lim. Was this simple woman going to survive the withering cross-examination of one of the greatest lawyers in the country?

• The outburst of Miriam Defensor-Santiago on the celebrated "colloquy" of Raul Roco? Who in the gallery made her go ballistic?

• The tale of the "hidden" microphone. Who planted the oversized microphone near the seat of John Osmeña?

• The testimony of Edgardo Espiritu. Is he going to blurt out the name of the smugglers who are always attending Malacañang affairs? Is he going to respond to his uncle’s (Ramon Revilla) order for him to name names?

• The eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation between Tito Guingona and Johnny Ponce Enrile. Are they going to move towards each other and engage in a physical clash?

• The appearance of private prosecutors. Will they be allowed to conduct the direct examination?

• The consistent flow of "I object" from the Defense Panel. Will Chief Justice Davide Jr. say, "Overruled"?

• The testimony of Chavit Singson. Is he going to drop more bombshells? If Chavit’s testimony did not stir televiewers, it was due to the fact that his story was already told in the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearings, and told and retold in other forums. It no longer had surprise or excitement value.

• The cross-examination of Chavit Singson. Will his credibility be shattered? Magkakalat ba siya?

• The appearance of private prosecutors as direct examiners. Will they be allowed to handle this role?

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There have been amusing incidents, too, that brought gales of laughter to millions of televiewers. Look back at the following:

• The mispronunciation of letters in the alphabet, like "J in goat" or "K as in kee-kee."

• The gentle admonition of Chief Justice Davide for Ramon Revilla, Robert Jaworski and Edgardo Espiritu to refrain from turning the trial into a "family affair."

• Emma Lim’s "Ang tea po hindi kinakain… iniinom" answer to Estelito Mendoza’s question.

• The advice of Chief Justice Davide to Prosecutor Sergio Apostol, not to "waste his (CJ Davide’s) saliva" because of Apostol’s one-by-one citation of witnesses to be told to return to the Impeachment Court.

• The mispronunciation of witnesses‘ names, as in the case of the Equitable PCI Bank teller whose name was, according to Apostol, was "very long." This confused Chief Justice Davide who kept on referring to the witness as "Samantha."

• Emma Lim (again!) telling cross-examining counsel, "Takot nga po… ngunit sino naman po ako para… eh, ang jueteng po ay kay Pangulong Estrada." The television camera caught Frank Drilon bursting and shaking with laughter over this specific episode.

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Concerned power consumers have asked President Estrada’s take-charge fellow, Executive Secretary Edgardo "Ed" Angara, to rescue the Rural Electrification Program from getting derailed. They said that the National Electrification Administration has been sitting on the program, threatening the planned electrification of some five million rural households, which is one of the top priority programs of the Department of Energy, headed by the dynamic Secretary Mario Tiaoqui.

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According to the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms (NASECOR), through its president Pete Ilagan, the five million households that could be affected by the derailment of the Rural Electrification Program constitute about 60 percent of the entire electricity market. "Their interest cannot wait for some bureaucrats to settle their differences," NASECOR said. "While almost all the households in the urban centers enjoy the convenience and comfort electricity gives, only six or seven out of every ten rural households have electricity," Ilagan added.

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NASECOR expressed worry over the failure of the NEA to award the contract of the woodpoles and crossbars component of the Rural Electrification Program, despite the emergence of a winner in the bid held in February last year. Nerwin Industries, with Malaysian partners, won the bid with a lowest tender of $11.7 million, which is about $2 million lower than the runner-up’s offer. As I previously cited, the funding, which will be provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, has an October 2001 deadline for availment.

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NASECOR asked the government agencies concerned to put their act together. And action must be taken at the soonest possible time, it said, because the mini-hydro components imported from China are already rotting in NEA warehouses. NASECOR also revealed that many of the imported items are being unnecessarily exposed to the elements.

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Unavailed loans are nothing new at NEA. Two years ago, the World Bank made available a facility of some $3.8 million for the procurement of electric posts for the CARAGA region. However, because of NEA’s inaction, the deadline for availment lapsed, resulting in the government’s forfeiture of the foreign funding.

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Octavio V. Espiritu, chairman of the Ateneo de Manila University Board of Trustees, called up to clarify that the full-page newspaper advertisement of the Ateneo U community does not apply to Ateneo alumni who hold posts in independent constitutional bodies. For instance, the appeal for Ateneans to resign from the Estrada administration does not include alumni who are justices of the Supreme Court, or are with the Sandiganbayan. Excluded, too, is Governor Rafael "Paeng" Buenaventura of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which is a constitutional body that is independent of the Executive Branch.

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