Faster than expected

Many were  disturbed by the way President Aquino criticized the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, worried that   his censure would  affect  judicial independence.

But I think everyone should remember  that Chief Justice Renato Corona was a midnight appointee of president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He was forewarned  by President Aquino not to accept the appointment because it was violative of the Constitution.

This week, the  House of Representatives  decided to file an impeachment complaint against Corona, signed by 188 members, effectively sending it to the Senate for trial.

The House action was  quick. Nobody  expected the swiftness of the action after a three hour caucus.   This week also the House of Representatives  sent the complaint to the Senate which will start the impeachment trial in January  next year. Senators took their oath as arbiters of the trial ahead.

Corona wasted no time in attacking  the president, calling him a  dictator  trying to undermine the independence of the judiciary. Chief Justice Corona said  the impeachment complaint was  more of an  attack of the independence of the judiciary and would eventually drag the entire judiciary into the controversy. The  Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) came to the rescue although several  members of the judiciary don’t  share the enthusiasm of the lawyers group.

Some quarters have vaild worries that the  impeachment complaint would affect the functioning of the judiciary and divide the country.

On the swiftness of the House action, many congressmen  were not given the opportunity to read and reflect on the impeachment complaint. According to some reports, the release of the legislator’s pork barrel was  also dangled as an incentive to sign the complaint but no one in  the House has come out to confirm this  alleged pressure.

Filipinos aren’t used to seeing  quick justice done.  I think the president should be praised for this instead of being lambasted because it shows he’s serious in his anti-corruption campaign. The impeachment of the chief justice is more of a warning against corrupt members of the judiciary.

Many times we’ve  heard  horror  stories about corruption in the judiciary but no one comes forward to  expose it or  file charges against crooked judges because those involved in the case were probably part of the corruption. Today we have an administration that walks the talk .

One example, the impeachment of Corona,  is based on  valid grounds. I think members of the judiciary shouldn’t react adversely because the administration is taking legal and constitutional steps to eradicate  the bench of  corrupt members. The impeachment complaint is not intended to undermine the independence of the judiciary but is focused solely on the  chief justice.

Civil society welcomes the impeachment complaint because now members of the  Supreme Court are held  accountable for their deeds or misdeeds. Members  of the judiciary shouldn’t  be onion-skinned or hide behind the cloak of  judicial independence.