Tonyo Cruz, May 15, 2012
The impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona has so far produced a mixed bag in terms of possible outcomes.
What is obvious though is how President Aquino, the chief architect of the oust-Corona enterprise, has authorized legal and political shortcuts to help advance the impeachment case.
Take, for example, the presentation given by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales before the Senate, based purportedly on a report from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). We wonder why the AMLC was so eager to fish and then present such information to the Ombudsman, and why the Ombudsman prioritized it over other cases pending before the anti-graft office.
It also appears that many pieces of “evidence” presented by the Prosecution before the Senate and the media come from the AMLC.
Both the office of the Ombudsman and the AMLC are governed by laws and rules to protect all citizens from unjust persecution and unjust searches. We wonder how many strings were pulled to assemble the rickety case of the Prosecution and the kind of precedents that have been made that could potentially be repeated against any or all foes of the Aquino regime.
The Office of the Ombudsman, a high constitutional office, is there to investigate cases against public officials in the interest of the Republic and not on the say so of a defeated Aquino stooge or of Aquino himself. By taking action on complaints against Corona, even as the Senate is holding a trial against him, the Ombudsman is wittingly or unwittingly taking the side of the President and his Prosecutors. Prudence and respect for constitutional processes would have dictated that the Ombudsman allow the Senate to conduct its own constitutional duty until the senator-judges decide on Corona’s fate.
The AMLC meanwhile came into being because of a law and there are rules that govern its operations. Rules are laid down because the AMLC handles work that intrudes into people’s finances that normally are under constitutional lock and key. Capricious application of rules against the President’s opponents or on the President’s direction is anathema to the very principle of accountability which the oust-Corona efforts purportedly champion.
As to the mobilization of all government aga
ins Corona, I totally don’t mind as long as President Aquino’s hatchetmen obtain the required court orders, faithfully follow legal processes, and show the same vigor vis-a-vis individuals serving the President under a cloud of doubt.
What is obvious though is how President Aquino, the chief architect of the oust-Corona enterprise, has authorized legal and political shortcuts to help advance the impeachment case.
Take, for example, the presentation given by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales before the Senate, based purportedly on a report from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). We wonder why the AMLC was so eager to fish and then present such information to the Ombudsman, and why the Ombudsman prioritized it over other cases pending before the anti-graft office.
It also appears that many pieces of “evidence” presented by the Prosecution before the Senate and the media come from the AMLC.
Both the office of the Ombudsman and the AMLC are governed by laws and rules to protect all citizens from unjust persecution and unjust searches. We wonder how many strings were pulled to assemble the rickety case of the Prosecution and the kind of precedents that have been made that could potentially be repeated against any or all foes of the Aquino regime.
The Office of the Ombudsman, a high constitutional office, is there to investigate cases against public officials in the interest of the Republic and not on the say so of a defeated Aquino stooge or of Aquino himself. By taking action on complaints against Corona, even as the Senate is holding a trial against him, the Ombudsman is wittingly or unwittingly taking the side of the President and his Prosecutors. Prudence and respect for constitutional processes would have dictated that the Ombudsman allow the Senate to conduct its own constitutional duty until the senator-judges decide on Corona’s fate.
The AMLC meanwhile came into being because of a law and there are rules that govern its operations. Rules are laid down because the AMLC handles work that intrudes into people’s finances that normally are under constitutional lock and key. Capricious application of rules against the President’s opponents or on the President’s direction is anathema to the very principle of accountability which the oust-Corona efforts purportedly champion.
As to the mobilization of all government aga
Renato Corona. Pic: AP.
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