I was alarmed by a report from the Inquirer that appeared on page 2 yesterday entitled “Impeach Raps Readied vs. SC Justices.†What’s going on here? Why are the members of the House Prosecution Team that impeached former Chief Justice Renato Corona two years ago preparing for impeachment proceedings to remove three to four but still unnamed Supreme Court Associate Justices? Should we take this report on its face value?
This news report came out from the office of Oriental Indoor Rep. Reynaldo Umali who showed a draft for the impeachment of those still unnamed Justices. Rep. Umali who is the vice chair of the House Committee on Justice said that the Supreme Court had “bullied†Congress and the Executive Branch several times by intervening in the impeachment moves against then Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. and then with Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez thus usurping the power of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal to decide on the electoral dispute between Marinduque Rep. Regina Onsiako-Reyes of the Liberal Party (LP) against Lord Allan Velasco of the National Unity Party (UNA).
But what really is the score here? Actually, we can really read between the lines. Rep. Umali is using his position in Congress to launch an impeachment attempt against the SC Justices first of all because of their decision to declare the Priority Development Assistance Program (PDAF) as null and void, thus Congress lost its power to get their hands on the pork barrel — something that they’ve done since the EDSA revolt restored Congress 28 years ago. Call this impeachment revenge no different from the one that Congress did for Pres. PNoy Aquino against CJ Corona.
Mind you Congress was never abolished during the time of the Marcos dictatorship, where he created an umbrella group of political parties and called themselves the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL). After the EDSA revolt Congress mutated into several political parties and gravitated towards the powers that be in Malacañang. Today, this Congress has shown its total fealty to Pres. Benigno Aquino, III when they impeached CJ Corona in an uncanny speed — just within an hour without debates.
But I don’t believe that Rep. Umali is acting alone here. His brazen attempt to impeach the still unnamed Justices is a shot-in-the-bow against the Supreme Court Magistrates who are still in the midst of deciding whether the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill is constitutional or not. If the SC rules it as unconstitutional, it would be a serious blow and an utter embarrassment to Pres. PNoy Aquino, who will be meeting with US Pres. Barrack Obama next month. Thus Rep. Umali is pressuring the SC to decide in the President’s favor or else there will be an impeachment against the justices who will not toe the line from Malacañang. Let’s pray for the independence of the SC!
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Last Monday we had dinner in Choi City with Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale hosted by Latvian Consul Bobby Joseph and the vice governor was a bit surprised that I haven’t written about that incident a week ago at the football game between Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu and Alco Football Club. First of all, I leave the stories about Sports to sports columnists because that is their specialty. But in truth, I can write about the sports that I indulge in such as golf, archery, combat shooting, and Motocross racing. But in all truth, we just have too many issues on our hands that more often than not, we even cannot write because of either lack of space or time.
But during the dinner, Vice Gov. Magpale pointed out clearly that the Province of Cebu is not taking sides on this issue, as they are merely providing the venue for the opposing groups to come together in the interest of sportsmanship. I congratulate Vice Gov. Magpale for her effort in bringing this issue to the proper channel, which is the Provincial Children and Women’s Commission (PCWC), mandated to protest children’s rights.
But more importantly I trust in the decision by the Cebu Football Association (CFA) whereby it suspended for 6 months 9 players, 4 of them from Sacred Heart, and 5 from the Alcoy Football Club, including the coaches of both teams. I believe that this is a fair decision and everyone should abide by it because if you don’t then get out of football!
So if you parents out there are rooting for your children — meaning you are a stage mother or father — then you must know that football is a full body contact sport and there will be mishaps. This is why I never played this game because many of my friends who played it ended with physical injuries. There is an American saying which goes, “If you can’t stand the heat, then don’t stay in the kitchen!†If you’re too protective of your children, then let them play chess or badminton where the players don’t touch each other!
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Email: vsbobita@gmail.com