Presidential anger
Many are worried and disturbed at the way President Aquino criticized the Supreme Court. They fear the President’s criticism violates judicial independence, one of the bedrock principles of democracy. Many have criticized the president for lambasting the Supreme Court as if the Supreme Court is non-infallible or is God that should not be criticized by anyone even if it makes a mistake.
In law school we were told that it is only the Supreme Court that can make mistakes in jurisprudence. But I think everyone should be reminded that Chief Justice Renato Corona was a midnight appointee of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Corona was warned by President Aquino not to accept the appointment because it was violative of the Constitution but Corona went ahead and took the position.
President Aquino openly stated his position, disagreeing with decisions of the Supreme Court, in a Justice Summit with Corona in attendance.
While many were not happy with what the President did, I think it was his right to tell the public his lamentations against the Supreme Court. True, the executive and the judiciary departments are co-equal but it does not mean that both are untouchables or cannot criticize the other on valid issues.
It’s wrong to believe that just because one belongs to the judiciary, one’s decision cannot be questioned or criticized.
I think it is good that the president criticized the Supreme Court so that they will be more prudent in deciding cases involving former president Arroyo, who appointed majority of the SC justices.
What is so sacred about the Supreme Court that it can’t be criticized when it is composed of men who are not infallible? The quarrel between the president and the judiciary is not really damaging to the institution as others would like us to believe but is part of the normal course of democracy following the principle of check and balance.
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Last Friday, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was brought to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center for her hospital detention where she is serving the warrant of arrest for the charge of electoral sabotage.
News reports said Arroyo was up and about at 6 o’clock in the morning ready to be brought to the Veteran’s hospital but it took the PNP until 3:10 p.m. to finally bring her there.
Once again GMA’s camp blamed the Aquino administration for the delay. The Aquino administration was quick to deny the allegation saying that there was no agreement that Arroyo was to be transported at 6 a.m.
I think it would be prudent for the Arroyo camp to stop blaming Aquino for what happened. Arroyo is even lucky to be getting VIP treatment as asserted by some militant groups. Should she be accorded the use of amenities like a laptop and a cellular phone? Yes, because she’s a congresswoman, according to her lawyers, but former president Erap Estrada recalls that he wasn’t given that privilege when he was confined at the Veterans hospital during his arrest.
I think the same treatment should be accorded to Arroyo, who is under investigation for electoral sabotage. It should be a policy of the government to stop giving special treatment to high-ranking officials who are facing charges in court. Or else no one would take seriously charges filed in court in the next case. The special treatment makes a mockery of our justice system.
