Senators save SC, opt for transparency

Filipinos revere Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos as the greatest hero of World War II. The Japanese invasion was only 17 days old when President Manuel Quezon appointed him on December 24, 1941. When Quezon and Vice President Sergio Osmeña moved the seat of government temporarily to Washington, Abad Santos chose to stay behind as caretaker of the national administration. The Japanese Military Command repeatedly approached him to swear allegiance to Japan, but he refused. Japanese troops under a colonel overtook him in Lanao and warned him once more to kiss their flag or be executed. Adamantly Abad Santos shook his head. Moments before he was shot to death on May 7, 1942, he told his son Jose Jr., “Weep not; show the enemy that you are brave. It is an honor to die for one’s country. Not everybody has that chance.” He was 56, the youngest Chief Justice of the Philippines to die.

Many other Chief Justices had served the country well. Roberto Concepcion was so appalled by the farcical ratification of the Marcos Martial Law Constitution that he resigned two months before the mandatory retirement at age 70, forfeiting the bulk of his pension. Bypassed five times by Marcos despite being the most senior associate justice, independent-minded Claudio Teehankee waited 18 years before he was named Chief Justice in a restored democracy. After retirement, Cesar Bengzon functioned with prestige as judge in the International Court of Justice. A few CJs took the path less noble.

Seventy years this month since Abad Santos chose death rather than shame the race, the position of CJ had sunk to a depth so low that Filipinos were beginning to feel demoralized. The justice system seemed in shambles. A CJ was exposed to have concealed, against constitutional rules on transparency by public officials, personal wealth in the hundreds of millions of pesos. That CJ confessed to the truth of the impeachment charge, but offered the lamest alibis for it. He also had led a cabal in the Supreme Court in consistently ruling for certain business and political patrons. His shameful acts were the fruits, it seemed, of his midnight posting at a time when his political patroness Gloria Arroyo was prohibited from making any appointments.

But yesterday 20 of 23 senators corrected the anomaly. On the pleading of 188 congressmen-impeachers, they removed Chief Justice Renato Coronado Corona and perpetually barred him from public office.

The process of removal took 44 hearings over five long months. It divided the nation, and diverted attention from other pressing concerns. But it had to be done. The Supreme Court had to be saved from internal decay and public distrust. The senators have earned their place in history: Juan Ponce Enrile, Edgardo Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Franklin Drilon, Francis Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Teofisto Guingona III, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Manuelito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Sergio Osmeña III, Francis Pangilinan, Aquilino Pimentel III, Ralph Recto, Ramon Revilla Jr., Vicente Sotto III, Antonio Trillanes IV, Manuel Villar.

Truth and justice will begin to be restored. Our country can now move on, stable in our institutions, although struggling still to rid the government of grafters and abusers of power. We can now face other urgent tasks, foremost of which are to prevent the bully China from grabbing our territories, to reform our electoral system, and to lift up a third of our population from want and ignorance.

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Has there been justice for such scams as in the NBN-ZTE $200-million overprice, the Diwalwal-ZTE giveaway, the NAIA-3 construction, Malacañang’s secret maritime survey with China of 2005-2008, or General Garcia’s plunder? Answers are provided in Exposés: Investigative Reporting for Clean Government. The compilation of my selected columns is available in hardcopy at National Bookstore and Powerbooks. And soon in e-book format.

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Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).

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E-mail: [email protected]