After listening to the direct, critical remarks of P-Noy, Chief Justice Renato Corona, said: “Just let it be. It’s Christmastime, let’s think of peace,” declining to give any more comments.
The occasion was the National Criminal Justice Summit, the forum where P-Noy chose to think aloud about his take on the criminal justice system, beginning and ending with the Supreme Court.
Why did he do it? Well, he is the President, and as such, is immune from suit. Thus, he is the only person who can tell the Chief Justice “in his face” what he thinks of its recent rulings and posture as an institution, without being held in direct contempt, and promptly placed in jail indefinitely.
Ordinary mortals like you and me would clam up and hold our breath when it comes to our honest disappointments or doubts about the rulings of any court, more so, of the Supreme Court. Most people will just say, the Supreme Court has spoken, and that’s it; take it or leave it.
Chief Justice Corona exhibited commendable statesmanship, and the countenance of an impartial arbiter of legal controversy — head of the third wheel of democracy, the Judiciary, in our democratic system. While P-Noy, head of the executive department — the first wheel of democracy — risked his stature and niceties of decorum when he stated those remarks in the presence of the Chief Justice.
Many have reacted that this was most inappropriate for P-Noy, and his advisers should have given him the proper guidance. Never in the history of our nation has this happened before.
P-Noy had publicly drawn the line, as it is his perception, that it is the will of the people that he was enunciating, when he made the remarks.
Proper or not, he carefully laid out where he was coming from. People who have experienced filing civil, criminal, or administrative cases have personal experiences of how a simple case can mutate into a financially draining, time consuming, emotionally nerve wracking, life changing/threatening experience, and frustrating enterprise.
Not only for the complainants or defendants, or the accused, and loved ones, but also for their lawyers and their families.
It is not easy, and sometimes all you can do is pray for perseverance and guidance, and the resignation to accept God’s will.
Civil cases can run an average of 10 to 20 years, think about that….
On the positive side, now that the Chief Justice himself has heard what P-Noy had laid out before him, at least, he now personally heard the perception of the majority.
He is a very learned man, and Solomonic in his ways, he will earn his place in history if he proves P-Noy wrong. He is the only person who can streamline the judiciary.
The efforts towards judicial reforms is funded by the World Bank, as it believes that the stability of democratic nations is highly dependent on the integrity of its judiciary.
Most failed governments in Asia and Africa have dysfunctional, highly political judicial system.
The legislative branch, as a lawmaking body — the second wheel of democracy — led by Senate President and the Speaker of the Lower House, in the interlocking wheels of our democratic system of government, has taken the initiative to mediate or balance the separate powers of each wheel, while maintaining its system of checks and balances. The power to impeach a President or Chief Justice is with Congress.
The majority are banking that the Chief Justice would want to be on the right side of history, and prove P-Noy wrong. And if there is any one who can foster and develop the advancement of the criminal justice system, only P-Noy and the Chief Justice can!