Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in effect accused President Duterte of violating the human and constitutional rights of some judges whom he identified as protectors of the illegal drug trade.
But she can be faulted for the same offense when she recently prevented Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes from paying the President a courtesy call.
The Chief Justice reprimanded some associate justices of the appellate court after she learned they had paid President Digong a courtesy call.
What’s wrong with Supreme Court or Court of Appeals justices making a courtesy call on the highest official of the land so long as they maintain their judicial independence?
Just because they paid the President a courtesy call, does it mean they have already surrendered their independence?
Is Sereno saying those justices are idiots? That they don’t have a mind of their own?
When the Chief Justice prevented the Court of Appeals Presiding Justice from visiting the President, wasn’t she in a way violating the latter’s human right?
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But the fact is Sereno does not see eye to eye with Mr. Duterte because she is beholden to former President Noynoy whose candidate, Mar Roxas, Mano Digong defeated in the last election.
Sereno probably wouldn’t have raised a howl over the courtesy call if Roxas, and not Mr. Duterte, was the President.
The Chief Justice should be above politics.
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Sen. Dick Gordon has a solution to the unabated killings of drug traffickers and pushers: A bill proposing to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, which means police can arrest drug suspects or terrorists without warrant and hold them indefinitely.
Lawyers of suspected narcotics smugglers and peddlers and terrorist suspects hide under the mantle of the law by saying they can’t be arrested without a court warrant.
Because they are backed by well-financed syndicates, which pay off court judges and government prosecutors, drug dealers and pushers return to the streets after being arrested.
President Digong, wise to the ways of our very corrupt judicial system since he was once a prosecutor, has ordered the elimination of pushers, dealers and their police protectors without the benefit of a court trial.
If it becomes a law, Gordon’s bill may prevent the extrajudicial killings of purveyors of illegal drugs since they can be arrested without warrant and held indefinitely.
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Hacienda Luisita farmers are appealing to President Digong to order the Department of Agrarian Reform to divide among them P1.3 billion from the proceeds of the sale of 500 hectares of the vast farmland.
They also want a share of the proceeds of the sale of 80 hectares of land which was traversed by the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.
They also want jobs for them and their children when Hacienda Luisita is eventually converted into an industrial zone.
The Luisita farmers say the Supreme Court has already decided in their favor.
The appeal comes two days before President Digong convenes the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) on Monday.
The PARC meeting will tackle the problem of Hacienda Luisita, among other matters.
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There are talks going the rounds within the Bureau of Customs that big-time brokers, who allegedly misdeclared smuggled goods, pooled among themselves P100 million as gift to an incoming official of the bureau.
They called the amount “enrollment” for the new customs official.
It comes from the verb enroll which means “to become a member or participant.”
This means to become a member of their group or accept proceeds of smuggling money.
“Tina” reportedly contributed P50 million; “David,” P20 million; “Jerry,” P30 million.
The gift was accepted, according to my unimpeachable sources.
Nothing can be hidden in the Bureau of Customs.
Wait till President Digong, who hates corruption, reads this.