EDITORIAL - Enrile also fighting his own battle

Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, who sits as presiding officer of the impeachment court trying Chief Justice Renato Corona, has been receiving nothing but praise for his expert and even-handed handling of the case.

There is probably no argument against the view that, of all the 23 current members of the Philippine Senate, nobody but Enrile is up to the awesome task at hand, not even the two members who have previously held the same post of Senate president.

But lost in all the praises for Enrile is the fact that he is not just engaged in a battle to ensure that such an important and unprecedented challenge as trying the chief justice will go down in history with clear and beneficial lessons for all.

Certainly more important to his own self is the great personal battle he needs to wage to redeem his place in that very same history. For Enrile has his own personal demons from the past to contend with.

It would be grossly wrong to say that Enrile is not secretly relishing the praises being heaped on his person. But the fact is, at 88, Enrile must have seen enough praises to truly care. At this stage in his life, it is his eye for name and honor that is drawing the best from him.

In this regard, it can be said without fear of contradiction that Enrile is an extremely lucky person. Not many people this late in their lives can ever hope to get the opportunity for a second chance shot.

Even Enrile himself, for the life of him, probably never expected that such an incredible opportunity would swing around and be his for the taking. It is like, in basketball, a loose ball suddenly landing in your hands with two seconds to go, with no defender close enough to matter.

Normally in such a situation, it is almost like a won game, except for Enrile to lose it. The situation is eerily the same at the impeachment trial. The way everybody is clapping, it is almost already like a won game for Enrile. Hopefully, it is not for him to lose it.