My professional education in one of the highest institutions of learning in this country has taught me that what is legal may not always be moral. And that if big decisions, like the recent acts of the Supreme Court removing all obstacles for Joseph Estrada to continue as mayor of Manila, then it is not hard to understand why this country is what it is at present—without a moral compass.
As a senior citizen still struggling and hoping for a better future for the Philippines, I think the decision of the Supreme Court is disgusting, to say the least.
The main question, to my mind, is this: Should the justices who favored Erap’s continuation in office base their decision only on legal grounds? Every human being is not only a legal construct. He is also a moral one that should have an equal eye on moral reasons for every decision he makes. Indeed, this kind of decisions that some members of the Supreme Court have made on the Erap case is a blot.
Philosopher George Santayana once said that “those who cannot remember the past are bound to relive it.” Is it any wonder then that this country hardly moves toward a better future? The main crops of our politicians are recycled garbage produced by a rotten and corruptible political system. Indeed, every election is nothing but a “garbage in, garbage out” process.
Do the justices of the Supreme Court ever read books other than legal tomes? If they do, I believe they must have read the excellent book written by veteran investigative journalists, Greg Hutchinson and Ellen Tordesillas, regarding former President Erap and his unlamented administration. The title of this book is, “Hot Money, Warm Bodies” (2001). This book will make you weep not only for the country but also for the citizens of Manila who voted for him.
—CARLOS ISLES, carlos_isles@yahoo.com