EDITORIAL - Squabble at the Sandiganbayan

No one can be happy about the squabbling at the Sandiganbayan. Not the government, which is prosecuting a landmark case against former President Joseph Estrada. Certainly not the public, which sees further delays in the deposed leader’s trial. If Estrada wants speedy court proceedings, he should also be unhappy about the feud that has erupted between the anti-graft court’s presiding justice, Francis Garchitorena, and Associate Justice Anacleto Badoy Jr.

Badoy started the controversy by announcing at a press conference that Garchitorena wanted him out of Estrada’s plunder case. There were insinuations that Garchitorena wanted to take over the case so Estrada could win an acquittal. This naturally fueled speculations that money had changed hands, although Badoy said nothing about this for public consumption.

Firing back, Garchitorena said it was another associate justice of the anti-graft court, Ricardo Ilarde, who had urged Badoy to let go of the plunder case. Garchitorena said Badoy had not been up to the job, was often absent and wanted more personnel in an already overstaffed office. The presiding justice said Badoy might have been "over-whelmed by the glamour" of the plunder case. Badoy, for his part, invoked a divine mandate and said only death could stop him from handling Estrada’s trial for an offense that warrants capital punishment.

The acrimonious word war continued yesterday, with both sides taking their cases to the media. This prompted the Supreme Court to step in, with Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. summoning the two justices to his chamber this weekend. Davide also issued a gag order on the two until their problems could be threshed out.

Filipinos of course want the truth to be known about this controversy. If there has been any wrongdoing, it must not be swept under the rug. In this rumor-mad town, the truth – or someone’s version of it – eventually leaks out anyway. If Badoy has been incompetent or underperforming, the Supreme Court should take the proper action. And if Badoy has a case against Garchitorena, a formal administrative or criminal complaint must be filed instead of grousing in public through the media. As justices, both men should be the first to uphold due process and fairness in all their actions. This controversy is a test of the strength and integrity of the nation’s justice system. Let’s hope we won’t get disappointed.