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Friday, February 3, 2012

‘Betrayal of public trust’

Nestor Mata

‘Bribery, which contributes to a culture of political corruption, constitutes culpable violation of theConstitution.’

THE concept of the public trust relates back to the origins of democratic government in ancient Greece, and bribery then and now is regarded as a notorious evil in that it contributes to a culture of political corruption in which the public trust is eroded.

This is exactly what has been happening in our own democracy ever since President Benigno S. Aquino III came to power over 500 days ago.

Many people who have not been blinded by his glittering promises to end corruption and eliminate poverty have seen that Aquino himself may be held liable for culpable violation of public trust under the Constitution.

They have witnessed with great dismay Aquino’s act in turning over millions in "pork barrel funds" to his political allies in the House of Representatives to induce them into signing the impeachment complaint against his bête noire Chief Justice Renato Corona ofthe Supreme Court and, without even reading its eight Articles of Impeachment, dispatched it to the Senate.

This verily falls in the category of political corruption which, as a mere law student will tell you, constitutes "bribery." And this could mean that Aquino, and not Corona, should be the one standing accused of betrayal of public trust before the Senate impeachment court.

That day may very likely become a reality only when and if Corona is declared innocent of all those accusations in the impeachment complaint which, inthe words of Senator-Judge Joker Arroyo, was "wantonly prepared."

Meanwhile, let’s go back to the Corona impeachment trial. On the 12th day of Corona’s trial, Aquino’s congressmen-prosecutors, after they failed to prove Corona’s alleged "hidden wealth," now plan to summon some 100 witnesses to testify against theembattled CJ.

This prompted Senate Impeachment Court Presiding Judge Juan Ponce Enrile to utter suddenly in disbelief, "My God!" A senator-judge and a minority congressman saw it, however, as "…a fishing expedition" for evidence by the prosecutors.

Senator-Judge Francis Escudero wondered why they were going back to the time when Corona was not even a member of the high court, since Corona is on trial only for his acts as chief justice.

A member of the House Committee on Justice was so infuriated that he condemned what he called the acts of the prosecutors in "spinning negative stories" in the mass media to demonize Corona, his wife and children, and that "…it is apparent the prosecutors have embarked on highly questionable fishing and hunting expeditions for black propaganda to condition the minds of the people."

Actually, it’s an "insidious plot" that goes beyond theremoval of Corona.

Unless it’s stymied by Enrile and other senator-judges, who have maintained an independent stance,the congressmen-prosecutors, along with Aquino’s small band of senator-judges, plan to transform the Senate impeachment proceedings into a political trial.

They intend to summon the 14 associate justices ofthe Supreme Court, pit the Arroyo-appointed ones against those appointed by Aquino, delve into howthey concurred and dissented in SC decisions, to prove Corona’s bias as CJ.

Their ultimate aim, as presumably dictated by Noynoy, is to strip the highest court of the land of its constitutional power as the final arbiter and interpreter of the law.

Not only this, a member of The Noisy Minority revealed in its Internet blog that Malacañang plans to mobilize the notorious "Black and White Movement" to stage daily street rallies assail Corona and exert pressure on the Senate impeachment court.

The end result, as one perceptive presidential watcher has warned, would be a wide open field for the"malevolent yellow mob" to humiliate Corona and other associate justices so that Aquino, with his firm control of the Supreme Court and the entire judiciary, and with his dominant bloc in Congress, can turn himself into some sort of tin dictator.
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Quote of the Day: "Midas of ancient days, they say, can turn whatever he touched to gold; today in our time, a politician can touch his political allies with gold and they will turn to do whatever he pleases." –Anon.

Thought of the Day: "Corruption is no stranger to Malacañang; it is an infamous resident!" – The Filipino Commenter

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