As a citizen and voter of this country, I appeal to the sense of honor of Chief Justice Renato Corona. I appeal to him to muster the needed political courage to resign from his post. If he missed the opportunity to demonstrate his impartiality by inhibiting from the cases involving the Arroyos, he has now an opportunity to redeem what is left of his credibility by giving up the crown of chief justice.
Lest we forget, when Gloria Arroyo was still vice president, Corona served as her chief of staff and spokesperson. When Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001, he served as her chief of staff, spokesperson and as acting executive secretary. These positions are confidential in nature and are accorded only to people who are fully trusted by the appointing authority. Corona’s appointment to these positions is proof that he enjoyed the full trust and confidence of Arroyo from the start.
On this alone, his participation in the deliberation of Arroyo’s fate smacks of partisanship. Arroyo needed the most loyal of her people to protect her, hence, the midnight appointment of a chief justice.
This would also explain the consistent pattern that emerges should one scrutinize the decisions Corona made in favor of the Arroyo administration. The fact that he voted 19-0 for Arroyo in cases involving her is profoundly stupefying.
Let us not forget that the integrity of the Supreme Court rests upon the decisions that will be made in the crucial cases involving the Arroyos. The people who have suffered nine years of corruption and impunity under the Arroyo regime are looking for answers. They will not settle for anything less than the truth.
I was once part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, whose integrity was severely tarnished by allegations of its involvement in rigging elections in favor of Arroyo. The offense is not a simple corruption case wherein elements of the military appropriate public funds for private use. It is also a direct affront to the right of the people to a clean and honest election. This issue is central to the duty of uniformed men and women to uphold and protect the Constitution. I myself am looking for answers. I myself will not settle for anything less than the truth.
Hence, I write Corona this letter. After all, if a simple letter can overturn a final decision issued by the high tribunal on the Fasap (Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines) retrenchment case, then perhaps my letter as a citizen and voter could persuade Corona to do the right thing.
Resignation is not an act of defeat but, in this instance, an aid to truth. Corona’s resignation will mean justice being served, something that Corona has sworn to as a lawyer. By stepping aside in the dispensation of justice, Corona is doing the Supreme Court, the Filipino people, and even Arroyo a great favor.
At the end of the day, if the voting on the Arroyo cases is presided over by a credibility-challenged Chief Justice, then the search for truth will be defeated. It will not be decided in any substantive or legal standards, but by mere loyalty to a former boss.
—RET. BRIG. GEN. DANILO LIM,
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