The protest rally conducted last Aug. 26 would have made us stand tall in the eyes of the world were it not for the spectacle of a self-righteous group of demonstrators whose behavior was like that of the angry mob in the Gospel story, which wanted to throw stones at someone they perceived to be a sinner.
I am referring to the incident where the former chief justice Renato Corona was booed and heckled by this group when he appeared at the rally to show his support.
And what was the sin of this man? He was convicted of not declaring his dollar accounts in the bank. The money was not ill-gotten. It belonged to him in the first place. His only mistake was not to reveal the deposit, an act that was impliedly allowed by the law when dollar accounts were declared confidential. Compare this to the billions of pesos of the people’s money that are positively stolen by persons in high places today, and you get to realize the extent of the injustice and hypocrisy around us.
As the years wear on, the wisdom of the three senators who voted to acquit Corona is beginning to manifest. The man was a victim of a witch-hunt orchestrated by a vindictive and hypocritical administration. He was already punished enough, stripped of his title, robbed of a career, humiliated.
Anything more we will do to him smacks of utter self-righteousness. As Shakespeare once wrote—Earthly power doth then show likest God’s when mercy seasons justice.
—MARIO GUARIÑA III,
former justice, Court of Appeals,
Better Living, Parañaque City