The late former congressman Ysmael Bukad watched from his nice comfortable seat in a theater up in heaven trying to make sense out of what transpired in the impeachment against Chief Justice Renato Corona. Above all else, he felt for once a sense of pride for having been a member of Congress even if he was congressman at a time now considered by many to be one of the Philippine legislature’s lowest historical moments. He was a member of the Congress that refused time and again to impeach Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It seems clearly a twist of fate that it has now impeached the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the very same one that Arroyo appointed in the darkness right before the end of her term.
But now the Philippine Congress seemed for once to be doing its job right by the Filipino people. Seemed to, and yet Bukad could not help being afraid that all this might deteriorate into another circus. He felt this especially after hearing that the prosecution was planning to bring in a hundred witnesses to testify against Corona. He could not help agreeing with the senators who foresaw that such a large number of witnesses would take months to hear. And by then, the trial could become too burdensome to watch. It might become so boring people will lose interest.
But then, why should the people’s interest suddenly become material in a legal case? Does that fact bode well for the cause of justice in the country? Is it saying to us, that justice can only happen in this country for cases which fall under the watchful eye of media and public opinion? What does that tell us about the state of political maturity in the country?
It speaks a lot, Bukad thought to himself. We have a long way to go, to be sure. And yet, he felt sure this is definitely a step in the right direction. If justice can be achieved in this particular case. There is hope it might be achieved elsewhere, in the cases against the Ampatuans and other controversial cases, especially those filed against the former president. Perhaps the former General Jovito Palparan might finally see the light of a courtroom. Any achievement in the cause of justice in the country is certainly much needed, and this much is easy to understand.
Bukad knew from actual experience that the most critical battles in the country are not battles fought in far-off mountains between government and various rebel groups. The most critical battles are those fought between the rich and powerful against each other. These are battles pursued in various arenas often away from the light of people’s awareness. But the Corona impeachment trial is different, and its main difference is that people can watch it transpire. They have the chance to judge for themselves if the rich and powerful can resolve their issues in a civilized manner and in such a way that justice would be served.
So far it seems to be working out well. Former Justice Serafin Cuevas seemed to look by far the more expert at law than the much younger prosecutors. But perhaps this should have been expected. It is for the prosecutors to build the case against Corona. The defense needs only to shoot down or at least to cast doubt on any evidence that might be presented to the court. This is by far the easier job. For as in all battles, the defensive position is always the easier role to take. One needs only to stand on higher ground and watch the directions by which the attackers launch their assault. And true enough it would seem as if the defense is doing the better job of it while the prosecutors try to figure out what to do.
But the late former congressman Ysmael Bukad knows as does retired Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas that this is a battle that will not be fought and won entirely on the floor of the Senate. This might be the closest we can ever come in the Philippines to a jury trial with the difference that the jury will not be barred from exposure to media and public pressure. Bukad marvelled at how well Cuevas played the press with his latest exposure of alleged pressure from Malacañang to get him off the case. The story he spins is nothing if not believable, and yet Bukad laughed to himself when he realized how “deniable” it also was.
Tigbuhat, the person who writes this text, once explained to him how so many things we call truth are only narrative. They are only text. In such a situation where truth is all but impossible to absolutely determine such as in this particular story from Cuevas, the narrative will have to be enough. We can only either believe or disbelieve. More to the point, we can only watch how the narrative weaves its way all over and into everyone’s mind.Which just goes to tell you how important the storyteller’s skill is even in the art of lawyering.
This put a hesitant smile on Bukad’s face.