Category: impeachment

corona to testify #cj trial

it was senator jinggoy estrada who addressed defense counsel yesterday and strongly urged that chief justice renato corona testify, the sooner the better, so we can all get to the truth and not waste time, or something to that effect.  he cited his father, president joseph estrada, who in 2001 was willing, waiting, to testify at his trial, he had nothing to hide.

we all know what happened to erap.  before he could take the witness stand, the prosecution walked out and edsa dos erupted.  even then, i was suspicious of the walk-out.  the testimonies were just beginning to get really interesting – naungkat na ang disappearance ni bubby dacer, ang kaso ni hubert webb, ang milun-milyong kinita ng isang senator-judge sa bw shares, at kung anoano pa.  what else might have been revealed had the trial continued, had the president told all, let the chips fall where they may, as in, laglagan blues.  and what if, after he had told all, we had seen that he was the least guilty pala.

so what’s in it for corona.  it would seem he’s feeling confident that he can prove the $10M accounts to be bogus.  if so, tapos na ang boksing; the president, the prosecution, and the media vultures eat crow.

but it does seem like everyone who’s anti-corona – including the president and the ombudsman – are convinced that the chief justice has hidden, unexplained wealth that must have been illegally acquired, or he would have declared it, and how else does a judge get so rich if not by accepting bribes (in exchange for favorable decisions) from, among others, gma and cohorts maybe?

again, what would be in it for corona?  at least ma-e-explain niya ang circumstances behind the hidden wealth?  he’s the least guilty?  or at best, he won’t go down alone?  at hindi lang si gma ang maaaring ilaglag?  o baka rin, he’s been offered an ex-deal he can’t refuse, as in, testify against gma and he can keep the $10M?  or maybe he’s being promised immunity from suit, like we-know-who?  i smell a rat.

miriam’s hell #cj trial

i am neither anti- nor pro-corona.  if he’s convicted, fine.  if he’s acquitted, fine.  i didn’t like him from the moment he accepted the midnight appointment, but that’s not a high crime, ‘no?

nothing will change, anyway, if corona is removed, except that whoever replaces him will be beholden to the president and his cohorts and not to gma.  and of course there’s the hacienda luisita ruling of the corona court; the cojuangcos would have a good chance of getting the whopping 10B in compensation they want that justice sereno recommends instead of 800M-something lang.  and yes, gma’s goose would be cooked, no matter how weak the evidence of election sabotage against her.

nothing will change either if corona’s not removed, except maybe he’ll inhibit or try very hard from then on to be impartial vis a vis gma cases lest he get impeached again next year.  and that, inhibiting and/or judiciously working at impartiality, would not be a bad thing.

so i am prepared to accept the verdict of the senate impeachment court.  i like it that presiding judge enrile, while bending backward to accommodate an ill-prepared complaint and prosecution, has drawn the line at subpoenaing members of the supreme court and challenging judicial privilege.  while there is much that needs reforming in the judiciary, weakening the institution and rendering it vulnerable/subject to the whims and caprices of the executive and legislative branches that are already too too too powerful would be disastrous for the country in the short-term and in the long run.

of course, there is every possibility that in the end, even if the corona camp were able to mount a credible defense, that the senator-judges would vote still according to their individual political agendas, usually connected to whoever’s in the palace.  pero kanya-kanya nang perception yan, and kanya-kanya ring diskarte, to vote or not to vote for them or their sons / daughters / spouses / siblings, in the next elections.

having said all that, in the spirit of disclosure, here’s my take on senator-judge miriam’s latest lecture that had vitaliano aguirre playing the fool.

i simply cannot find it in my value system to denigrate, condemn, or even criticize senator-judge miriam defensor santiago — as many many anti-corona peeps in social media are doing, waging a hate-miriam campaign, complete with down-dirty cussing ang isa — for lecturing the prosecution and using the words “gago” and “kagaguhan” to characterize how the prosecution has been handling the impeachment case.

neither can i find it in my value system to declare volunteer private prosecutor vitaliano aguirre a hero — as many of these anti-corona peeps are doing, complete with we-are-behind-you graphics – for daring to cover his ears during miriam’s lecture, and when called out, instead of apologizing (as his fellow prosecutors urged), daring to express in no uncertain terms, his contempt for the senator-judge, so to speak, for stridently lecturing the prosecution.

to me it’s clear that these hate-miriam love-aguirre people would be cheering miriam if miriam had been scolding the defense, and they would be angry instead with aguirre for covering his ears if he had been part of that defense.  to me it’s obvious that anti-corona anti-gma peeps are being unreasonable, i suspect out of a real if unspoken fear that corona might be acquitted, either because they have a stake in his conviction or because they have already judged him guilty, like the palace and their favorite media have.

miriam had reason, every time, to lecture the prosecution.  again and again she was provoked by the prosecution’s ineptness and panggagago.  whether or not we like her demeanor or her voice or her language or her scolding style, the prosecution deserved the scolding, every time.

this last, she was scolding the prosecution for dropping five of eight impeachment articles, and they had it coming to them.  to me they were like schoolboys who enrolled in 8 units but “dropped” (that’s the word tupaz used) 5 units kaysa ma-singko, kaysa bumagsak, dahil kulang sa requirements, and then had the gall to cover their ears when scolded by their elders.  kagaguhan indeed.

and no, gago does not mean “stupid.”  “tanga” is the equivalent of “stupid,” and there’s nothing stupid about the prosecutors.  in fact, it takes smarts, craftiness, guile, to be gago, that is, to break rules and brazenly try to get away with it — yan ang panggagago: iniisahan tayo, ginagawa tayong tanga, akala makakalusot sila.  kagaguhan is largely what the prosecution has been up to from the start, railroading, practically overnight, a badly crafted complaint that 188 signatory-reps didn’t even have time to read, and for which they had no evidence.

malaking kagaguhan din ang ginawa ni aguirre.  he was being gago, impertinent, pa-defiant, when he covered his ears in an insolent ploy to attract attention to himself and away from the senator-judge’s lecture.  in any courtroom, especially this one where the fate of a supreme court chief justice is being decided, it is kagaguhan for a prosecutor to consider himself equal to a judge.  the stakes must be so high, he was willing to play the audacious anti-hero, resort to dirty tricks to distract the public from the painful truths that miriam has been revealing about the prosecution.

so really, this front page item on the inquirer quoting cory’s spiritual adviser, that Miriam is ‘worthy of the fires of hell’?  for speaking the truth?  what the hell!  then that goes for me, too.

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No Plan B to fall on by Solita Collas-Monsod
The inane, the insane, the profane Manila Standard Today Editorial
Your Honors… by Alex Magno
The Aquino-LP agenda by Carol Pagaduan-Araullo

Demystifying the “brod” mystique #cj trial

By Elmer Ordonez

Sociologist Randy David was impressed when presiding officer Senate Juan President Ponce Enrile addressed prosecutor Rep. Raul Daza as “brod” and quickly turned to defense counsel Serafin Cuevas to address him too as “brod.” Enrile and Daza are both fraternity members (Sigma Rhoans), but Cuevas, as far as the 1952 Philippinensian shows, did not list any fraternity affiliation. If he is not a “brod” then Enrile may well have used the term as an honorific, designed perhaps to avoid any apprehension that he might be partial to the prosecution. “Brod” has been used loosely like “pare” but not normally by frat members.

UP law graduates abound in the impeachment trial, many of them fraternity members. Other than the Sigma Rhoans are members of Upsilon Sigma Phi (Senators Joker Arroyo and Francisco Pangilinan), and Alpha Phi Beta (Senators Chiz Escudero, Aquilino “Koko” Pimental, and Alan Cayetano), to name a few. I do not know the fraternity affiliations of those in the prosecution and defense panels. I am sure there are several.

As a frat man I may say something about the “brod mystique” and its provenance. At core of this mystique is pride and sense of belonging. In my time before one was mustered in the Upsilon Sigma Phi, he was required to know about its traditions like its founders (young Freemasons), its heroes and martyrs like Wenceslao Vinzons and Jose Abad Santos, and distinguished alumni in public service, its history particularly leading positions held in the student council and Philippine Collegian. The frat recruited members with leadership, writing, debating and oratorical skills, and candidates for honors. For instance, there were two summa cum laudes, Florentino Feliciano and Shen Lin, among Upsilonians from Class ’52. Some masters impressed us neophytes to say that the Upsilon was the only fraternity in UP, the rest were sororities. Gender sensitivity was unknown then but we treated the chauvinist line as a joke.

Before I joined I was told that the frat’s initiation was the toughest; no paddles then, only ingenious methods of mental and physical hazing.

When my turn came to be a “master” I never hazed any neophyte who had to introduce himself. And when I was asked to become its adviser in the early 60s, I set one condition that physical hazing be abolished. The officers balked apparently to maintain the “mystique” of being the toughest frat to get into. Today I understand physical hazing has been abolished on campus—after decades of mindless violence on hapless neophytes.

Fraternity connections have indeed played a role in politics, governance and business.

Outstanding “brods” are found in almost every area of endeavor including science, the arts, literature, media, education, music, sports, entertainment, fashion, and even the mass movement. Fraternities open to students from all colleges are most likely to make a wider range of achievement other than law– like the Upsilon Sigma Phi founded in 1918 by members of the Order of DeMolay. Its rites have Freemasonic touches. Many Upsilonians later become Freemasons or join the ruling establishment. A good number came from old dynastic or elite families–Roxas, Laurel, Yulo, Araneta etc. Hence its reputation of being a “sosyal” frat.

Fraternity brods in public service do not always see eye to eye – like SC justice Presbiterio Velasco and SC justice Antonio Carpio, both Sigma Rhoans. But not as spectacular or lethal as the struggle between Senator Ninoy Aquino and President Ferdinand Marcos, both Upsilonians.

The fraternity was divided then – from the time of the Jabidah massacre in the late sixties to Aquino’s assassination in 1983 and its aftermath. Many Upsilonians refuse to believe that it was Marcos who ordered the assassination. They hint at the “usual suspects”—a few who were interested in succeeding Marcos, said to have a terminal illness.

I remember Aquino and Marcos in a frat reunion in the late 60s at Wack Wack country club where the two protagonists were brought together to shake hands and embrace each other, muttering “brod.” To say “brod” to another is supposed to establish the fraternal ties among senior and junior fellows forged during final initiation rites. But Senator Aquino (from the same batch as mine, ’50) was unstoppable in his attacks on the President (of a pre-war batch) until his last expose of Oplan Saggitarius for the declaration of martial law in September 1972, said to be crafted by two brilliant legal minds, Sigma Rhoan Enrile and Upsilonian Marcos. The rest is history, but what a history! And many like myself did not see anything commendable in putting the whole country under a dictatorship. Here’s one instance where the “brod mystique” goes out of the window. Like what I said, the brods were divided into pro-Marcos (some enjoying the perks or largess under the “New Society”) and pro-Aquino (many joining the people’s resistance against the Marcos dictatorship).

The pitfalls of remembering

By Elmer Ordonez

Writing a remembrance piece is a challenge to memory. I said this much to reader Benito Valeriano, nephew of Col. Napoleon Valeriano whom I mentioned in my last column “First UP Diliman Rally after the War” as the commander of the Nenita Unit that trucked out of their camp in Diliman early that morning of March 29, 1951 headed for the anti-Huk campaign in Central Luzon. Valeriano’s nephew wrote:

“The Nenita Unit which was known for its Skull and Bones symbol was dissolved in June 1947 after he was designated Provincial Commander of Pampanga. In 1948 he organized the First PC BCT (stationed in Diliman) and also used for its emblem the Skull and Bones, hence it was nicknamed “the Skull Battalion,” having most of its men originally from the Nenita. After 1949, the use of the Skull and Bones emblem was no longer authorized due to political controversy. By early 1950, the Philippine Army was already employing the Battalion Combat Team (BCT) in the anti-Huk campaign. This development coupled by a highly efficient military intelligence organization, led to the capture of the Manila politburo headed by personalities you mentioned, Lava, Baking brothers, et al. It also paved the way for my uncle’s 7th BCT (Tapat) to conduct three major operations in Central Luzon and the Sierra Madre that resulted in the complete destruction of two dreaded Huk Recos. In the last major battle at Biak Na Bato, Bulacan on 3 December 1950 he lost his Recon company commander, the intrepid Capt. Oliveros. My uncle who was beside him leading the final assault of the caves was wounded. By 1951 the Army had the upper hand in the campaign, since Magsaysay was a hands-on SND. He remained in Central Luzon up to 1952 as Task Force commander. Therefore it could not have been his unit that figured in that incident in 1951.”

My friends from Pampanga recalled that the “Markang Bungo” unit was feared by the people for the summary punishment of any hapless civilian for just staring at the soldiers trucking by. This terror tactic apparently did not succeed in intimidating the people and outlaws led by Kamlon in Jolo. This I learned from older brother, then a scout ranger officer with the 8th BCT, whose men included survivors of the purported “Nenita Unit” assigned to defeat Kamlon. It is also common knowledge that Col. Valeriano worked closely with Col. Landsdale of the CIA in counter-insurgency projects not only in the Philippines, but also Vietnam, Panama, and the Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles in the early 60s.

On the prime ministership

Former finance minister/prime minister Cesar Virata clarified that Salvador “Doy” Laurel (whom I mentioned as the second prime minister from our Class ’52) was not elected prime minister by the Batasan Pambansa since President Cory Aquino “threw away the 1973 Constitution.” She replaced it first with a “Freedom Constitution” under a “revolutionary government.” She later convened a constitutional commission composed of 50 members who drafted the 1987 constitution which was ratified at a referendum conducted that year. Doy then may well have been designated prime minister during the euphoria following EDSA in 1986. Unfortunately for Doy, the Batasan never convened because of the abolition of the 1973 constitution.

UP alumni in the impeachment trial

Since the impeachment trial began, I have not commented on the subject beyond saying that former SC justice Serafin Cueva, a UP law alumnus of Class ’52, has figured as the brilliant defense counsel for the accused Chief Justice Renato Corona. The only other member of Class ’52 celebrating its Diamond Jubilee this year is senator-judge Joker Arroyo. Contemporary with Cuevas and Arroyo are presiding officer Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who belonged to Class ’53, and senator-judge Edgardo Angara, Class ’58.

UP alumni, lawyers and non-lawyers are the more visible actors in the impeachment drama – sitting as senator-judges or standing as prosecutors and as defenders of the accused. Listening to the lead players who are UP alumni, and observing their style or manner of questioning witnesses, I could not help but recall the “terrors” in the classrooms of UP Diliman not only in Malcolm Hall but in other colleges as well. A few professors were famous in the early 50s for their unorthodox ways of teaching their subject. After the war, “terrors” could be at risk. I remember a mature law student (an ex-guerrilla fighter who shared quarters in a faculty college) packing his .45 to class, “just in case,” he said, his professor, “acts up” – like heaping verbal abuse on students. In the English department, students majoring in literature waged a strike in the 60s against a few professors with sharp tongues–one of whom did not give a grade higher than “3.” With the student revolt in the late 60s, “terrors” became more careful.

The “terrors” of academe live on in the trial. But after the constant barrage of legal technicalities, pomposity, ex cathedra statements, incivility, grilling, grandstanding, ego-tripping and other antics in the trial, tedium and frustration have started to set in. I now prefer following the progress of the trial through video footages and print media reports and analyses. I miss the cool and unruffled manner of Chief Justice Hilario Davide presiding over the impeachment trial of President Estrada.