This is in response to Rigoberto Tiglao’s column titled “Hacienda Luisita’s day of infamy.” (Inquirer, 12/15/11) It is really laughable that Tiglao can be so intellectually dishonest in his analysis of events surrounding the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona. To a casual observer, like a first-time tourist to the Philippines, Tiglao’s rhetoric could convince them that dark deeds are pushing the country over the edge. However, to the vast majority of Filipinos who actually live here, the impeachment of Corona is actually cathartic—literally a cleansing of the nation’s soul.
This is not to say that all of President Aquino’s actions are perfect. True, the apparent haste and coercive manner of getting the impeachment through Congress were not ideal. But we are hardly an idyllic, utopian society and political maneuverings that stretch the boundaries are hardly new. Tiglao can rail against undue haste in the impeachment process, but where was his criticism when former President Joseph Estrada’s impeachment was railroaded through Congress? Tiglao wags his finger at the coercion of congressmen to sign the impeachment complaint, but what about the brown paper bags containing cash that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo distributed to buy support? What differentiates the President’s questionable actions from the shenanigans of the past is his clearly stated motive: justice. And this emphatic and consistently declared motive seems to be what Tiglao finds very disagreeable.
In Tiglao’s analysis, the underlying reason for ousting Corona is financial survival or greed. To him, the impeachment is really a Machiavellian plot to populate the Supreme Court with friendly justices who will reverse its recent decision regarding Hacienda Luisita, thus securing the wealth of the Aquino clan. Using this logic, Tiglao has admitted several things that sink his arguments and makes the impeachment of Corona justified. First, the Supreme Court is not impartial and can be compromised by servile appointees. Second, Supreme Court decisions are not final and can be reversed in favor of the appointer by his/her appointees. Lastly, the current Supreme Court is really an Arroyo Court.
Like the majority of Filipinos, perhaps Tiglao is cynical and has long been disappointed with the sad state of our nation’s politics. We can no longer look at our leaders and not impute some moral or character deficiency. Even worse, we might even be inured to the corruption around us and accept it as the norm. On the other hand, Filipinos love action movies and their formulaic ending. The best scene is always the one where the hero breaks through the phalanx of lackeys and finally confronts the evil boss. The current impeachment may not have a celluloid happy ending, but that remains to be seen and we can always hope that our heroes still represent our purest motives.
—SOLIMAN DELARIARTE,
sdelariarte@yahoo.com