WHAT?

The news has been cobbled up with vexing side to side updates of what currently happens in the historical impeachment trial of the infamous Chief Justice Renato Corona ever since the unexpected reshuffling of events last year. We never imagined that it will lead to this situation that galvanized the neutrality of the democratic institutions in our government. The clash of the political giants in this warlike status quo in our government is misleading so to speak. As what a famous senator says, thanks to her rising blood pressure, the impeachment court is being turned into a “political circus” in which she cited that even though that this body is quasi-political and quasi-judicial, the Rules of Court will still prevail in able to construe that justice will be served well in this on-going trial. Fake documents!

Dollar bank accounts, ill-gotten wealth and failure to disclose the SALN to the public – all of these are still under the Article II of the Articles of Impeachment submitted to the Senate and as of this writing, it is now being turned into a lame and boring argumentation between the defense and the prosecution which may seem to be leading to nowhere. Addition to these are the unreasonableness of the witnesses subpoenaed when answering the questions of the senator-judges. But even though these things make the trial kinda lame, I still thank that the Senate President is a man with proven competence in tackling those issues pertaining to the Chief Justice. His maturity is proven enough and I admire him for this.

Delaying tactics, oh yes. Even though the Constitution safeguards the right to a speedy disposition of cases, it seems to be unlikely in this impeachment trial considering the fact that they assume that by end of late March, the trial is over already. It is not feasible to tell the truth. The whole world is watching on this and flaws in our politics were getting clearer in this one.

Addition to the fact that most of us doesn’t even care at all.

I like the segment of TV5 journalist Lourd de Veyra in one episode of his program Word of the Lourd titled “Impeachment for Idiots” wherein he asked the ordinary people in the streets about their understanding to the impeachment process. Sad to say the reality but all of those interviewed didn’t fully answered the question correctly. It’s quite funny to think that mass media had been talking about the impeachment trial almost everyday since the start of the trial and yet we don’t exactly grasp the meaning of that political and legal process? I don’t blame anyone here, not even the government itself. It’s just disappointing that as the sovereign, we don’t fully grasp the realm of the rights given to us with the exception of the right to be ignorant. The exigencies in the society are still there untouched: poverty, high prices, unemployment and the like. It’s always the problem and more likely those who suffer will be immune already that they no longer enjoy the rights and privileges granted by our Constitution.

As we are talking about this, I am beginning to appreciate more the real importance of studying political science and the laws themselves. It goes beyond the box which makes analyses to political issues involving the never ending conflict of interests between the rich and the poor and the continuing inequities in the society as well as corruption in the bureaucracy.

“Like people, like government” –J.P Rizal

This quote of Rizal still haunts me up to this point.