We salute the Justices of the Supreme Court!

I’m always getting into a melancholic mood whenever I arrive from my trips abroad because of the realization that I’m going home to a country that has been eaten up by the cancer of ugly politics, the principal cause of our being a 3rd world country. Sure people say that politics is a necessary evil.

But at least in the US it doesn’t affect major services like traffic management or road infrastructure or the management of airport facilities. But in the Philippines interference by politicians, like the suit filed by Sen. Serge Osmeña  III against the Megawide-GMR Airport deal sends away foreign investors to our competitors within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). When will this stupidity ever stop, or should I say when will our politicians stop being greedy and selfish and think of the nation first???

In this country we apparently have never ending problems in areas where Presidential appointees run facilities like the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) which was so chaotic during the time of Al Vitangcol. Three weeks ago, I was riding the subway in New York City and you will not see the lines like what we saw happening at the MRT. That’s because efficiency is a given in the US, and the incompetent managers or supervisors are given the boot. But under the Aquino regime, they are protected and defended to the hilt. Of course Al Vitangcol had to quit due to a nepotism issue.

So I arrived last Tuesday evening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) or the so-called “Worst International Airport in the World.” But in fairness to airport management, these problems are now being worked on and it really isn’t that bad at all. I was glad that the airport transfer from NAIA 1 to the PAL Centennial Terminal was still ongoing, except for the fact that the air-conditioning of those buses is not working. But believe me, Immigration officers and Customs officers were extra courteous, not because they knew me…but we felt very welcome at the NAIA.

While there is no place like home, I guess that’s just me and how I feel about the way things are run in our country. Even the Internet service at the PAL Centennial was woefully slow even at dawn where there were less people. But go to the Magic Kingdom or Universal Studios where there are hundreds of thousands of people using their mobile internet service, their signals were very strong…sending photos on your Facebook was in ultra fast speed and that includes most US airports that I used.

But what do you know… when I left the country first week of June, I was saddened by the fact that the student, Pio Emmanuel “Em” Mijares who heckled Pres. Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III during his Independence Day speech in Naga City was thrown to jail. But thankfully I arrived with great news, that finally after two delays, the Supreme Court (SC) in a unanimous decision has declared the highly controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as unconstitutional!

Indeed, the SC has shown an uncanny independence against the Aquino regime that doesn’t hesitate, threaten or cajole Supreme Court Justices to see things from the point of view of Malacañang. I take my hat off to all our Supreme Court Justices for this decision has restored my faith in our wobbly justice system even with the fact that we’re still so far away from system of justice that benefits all our people.

Mind you before the SC decision came out the front pages of our national and local dailies were coming out with various rumors as to how the SC would decide. But now the die has been cast…the SC did not give any credence to the defense of Malacañang that the case filed against it was moot and academic as DAP was already stopped. Indeed the SC correctly ruled that the DAP violated the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers as well as the provision prohibiting inter-branch transfer of appropriations.

While am still on my “reentry mode” we will be looking at the implications of this SC ruling. For sure it is devastating to P-Noy and his pal, Department of Budget & Management (DBM) Chief Florencio “Butch” Abad who vehemently insisted that they were doing the right thing! At this point, we should once more march to the streets to demand the resignation of Sec. Abad because he has shamed not only himself…but also the Office of the President.

In using, or should I say misusing the DAP, Sec. Abad was the man on top of the unbridled use of unprogrammed funds without a certification by the National Treasurer that revenue collections exceeded the revenue targets and this was also voided by the SC. I suspect that one of those unprogrammed funds was used to bribe the Senators to convict former Chief Justice Renato Corona. So the biggest question to ask is…what is the role of P-Noy on the DAP? I suspect he had a bigger role in the DAP for the simple reason that he is the Chief Executive.

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