Suddenly, everybody is talking in Filipino

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. LYN RILLON

“Reglamento ng ebidensya.” “Matuklasan ang katotohanan.” “Kataas-taasang Hukom.”

The public was Tuesday given a preview of what it would be like if the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona were to be conducted in Filipino.

The members of the impeachment court abandoned English, the traditional language of Philippine courts, during stretches of Tuesday’s proceedings, with some of them alternately struggling with and showing eloquence in the national language.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who also speaks Ilocano, set the tone when he talked about his being the presiding officer and why he was using the Rules of Evidence in the absence of a better alternative so far in the trial.

He was responding to a manifestation by Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., the lead prosecutor, that the court should be more “liberal” and “flexible” in its rules, unlike in a criminal court.

“Sabihin ninyo sa akin bilang mga hukom at bumubuo ng Senado kung gaano ako magiging liberal para susundin ko po ang kagustuhan nyo (Tell me as senator-judges how far I can go so I can heed what you want),” he told his colleagues. “Pero hanggang ngayon, wala pang nakakapagsabi kung gaano ka-liberal ang gusto ninyong mangyari dito sa ating paglilitis (Up to now no one has been able to say how liberal this trial can get).”

Enrile went on to discuss his long experience as an “ordinary trial lawyer,” using the Filipino translations for such terms as the Rules of Evidence (reglamento ng ebidensya) and “to search for the truth” (matuklasan ang katotohanan):

“Alam po ninyo, ako ay isang ordinaryong manananggol. Meron naman akong mga hinawakan na kaso. Matagal po ako sa husgado at itong reglamento ng ebidensya na ginagamit natin. Lahat ng mga huwes na hinarapan ko—at panay magagaling na mga huwes po—ay palaging ang sinasabi nila, ito ang mga reglamento upang suriin ang mga kaso at matuklasan ang katotohan.”

But Enrile’s mastery of Filipino could not keep him from using occasional English terms:

“Kung papalitan po natin yan (rules), nasa sa inyo po iyan. Ako po ay open at susunod sa utos ng kagalang-galang, kataas-taasang hukom ng ating impeachment system,” he said.

Even Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who can easily switch from English to Filipino, could not avoid speaking “Taglish” in the course of his manifestation:

“Pag na-suppress po natin ang ebidensya dito, bayan ang talo. Kung ma-convict or ma-acquit [si Corona], dapat on the merits with all the evidence presented here.”

Proud to be senator

Senator Manuel Villar broke his silence and took the floor to throw his support behind Enrile. He, too, spoke mainly in Filipino but had to switch to English at some point.

“Alam nyo, may mga pagkakataon na di ako sumangayon sa ating pangulo ng Senado, subalit I have never been as proud as now to be a member of the Senate, and yan ay uulit-ulitin ko,” he said.

Early in Tuesday’s proceedings, Enrile made it clear on at least a couple of occasions that points regarding Article 2 and the contentious move to introduce evidence on Corona’s alleged ill-gotten wealth should be sufficiently explained.

“So that the public will know … so that the public … will understand,” he said.

The senators were earlier asked to conduct the trial in Filipino and cut the use of legal jargon, to make ordinary Filipinos understand the issues.

Defense too

A number of senators agreed, among them Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Loren Legarda and Manuel Lapid.

Corona’s defense team also expressed support for the idea.

“It’s OK with us if we hold the trial in Filipino especially if it would help the public better understand the events unfolding in the Senate,” defense lawyer Karen Jimeno told reporters.

“But the public must also understand that you cannot have a trial entirely in Filipino because there are legal terms and Latin phrases that cannot be translated in Filipino,” she said. With a report from Marlon Ramos