EDITORIAL - Judicial housecleaning

This is how justice is undermined in this country: A judge in Minda-nao sits on cases in his court for up to 13 years, then brings the records with him when he is transferred to Metro Manila. He says an aide misplaces the records during the transfer, and when they are finally found, he cannot attend to the cases because he is busy tackling a case backlog in his new assignment. After several demands from the Supreme Court for an explanation, the judge says he "simply forgot" to submit his comment.

The good news is that the Supreme Court has finally fired Judge Jaime Hamoy of the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court, forfeiting his retirement benefits and barring him permanently from public office. The question is how many more judges like him are still out there, undermining public confidence in the justice system through negligence or incompetence. In addition to judges like Hamoy, the judiciary is tainted by the activities of so-called hoodlums in robes who see justice as just another commodity that can be sold to the highest bidder.

The weakness of the justice system is one of the biggest recruitment tools of groups that promise swift justice to the oppressed, such as the communist New People’s Army. It is also one of the reasons for public tolerance and even open support for extrajudicial methods of law enforcement, including summary executions of suspected felons. Disillusionment with incompetent or corrupt judges also discou-rages dedicated law enforcers from doing their job.

This lack of faith in the competence and integrity of judges contributes to a general public disregard for the law. This could be ruinous for a democracy where the rule of law is supposed to prevail. Hamoy may still appeal his dismissal, but for now his ouster can only be welcomed by a public frustrated over the administration of justice. Because of a shortage of judges, disciplinary action has been slow in the judiciary. If public confidence in the justice system is to be strengthened, judicial housecleaning will have to be more thorough.