We agree with letter-writer Romano Montenegro (12/9/21) that the Court of Appeals (CA) erred horrendously in deleting the imprisonment in the conviction of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and imposing only the fines, thereby making that case look like a “jaywalking” violation.
What were those CA justices thinking? They owe the Filipino people an explanation. A Google search yielded their names: Gloria Paras, then 3rd division chairperson and writer of that 1997 decision, with Lourdes Tayao-Jaguros and Oswaldo Agcaoili concurring. Could they not read the law where any lawyer or layman could see that BOTH imprisonment and fine should be imposed for any conviction under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1977?
The Supreme Court likewise let Marcos Jr. off the hook so easily by refusing to see how the CA screwed the Filipino people over. It allowed the sudden withdrawal of Marcos Jr.’s submission without any consequence — never mind the travesty of justice that appeared on the face of his appeal. Without that verdict of imprisonment, voters who were polled in the latest surveys must have thought the anti-Marcos groups are just making a mountain out of a molehill.
YVETTE SAN LUIS
ysl.69996@gmail.com