Alarm bells have been sounded off in letters that point out President Duterte’s opportunity to appoint 12 justices to the 15-member Supreme Court during his term. The Constitution exclusively vests in him that prerogative. Its framers must really be turning in their graves; or if still alive, wishing they had thought of it more seriously.
Former president Ferdinand Marcos had to declare martial law to arrogate unto himself the power to dictate upon the Supreme Court. Former president Cory Aquino had to go through fire to get the chance to control the Supreme Court under a revolutionary government. Sitting President Duterte is being handed that power on a silver platter.
The most worrisome is the quality of magistrates Du30 will name to the Court in light of his strong, damn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead preference for “frat brods,” schoolmates and friends—mostly shameless “sycophants” who praise him even for his most childish or scandalous utterances just to get into his good graces.
If the appointment of his two “brods” (for no other reason than their affiliation to the same college fraternity) to important and very sensitive positions in the Bureau of Immigration—which because of them is now embroiled in one of the biggest government scandals that have hit this early the Duterte administration—is any indication, the country should really brace for more miscreants and misfits calling the shots in the highest court of the land and messing “jurisprudence” up in the years (theoretically, three decades or so) to come.
Heaven help us!
MARIUS CANONOY, canomarivil@gmail.com