Oral arguments in SC on Poe’s DQ case just a waste of time

We are one with Senate President Franklin Drilon who has expressed impatience as the Supreme Court takes its sweet time to resolve the disqualification cases against Sen. Grace Poe (“What’s taking Poe case so long?” Second Front Page, 2/11/16).  “Drilon said the high court appeared to lack a sense of urgency,” went the report.

Seriously, what is taking 15 “brilliant” justices so long to come up with a decision? If there is a need to divide the Court in light of their conflicting opinions, so be it, and the sooner, the better. Always quick to say “judicial independence,” the Court does not seem to care about the public clamor for a quicker resolution of an issue that has had the nation waiting on tenterhooks.

Matinding pinag-usapan na po ang isyung ito mula last year pa!  (This issue has been intensely discussed and debated on since last year!) Setting the cases for “oral arguments” ad nauseam provides nothing more than a platform for grandstanding! So far, we have been hearing the same arguments repeated over and over! And then what comes next?  The Court is expected to require the submission (again!) of more “memorandums” to put in writing what everyone talked about during “oral arguments!”  See what a waste of time all that exercise really was?

And look what happened to that “Torre  de Manila” case where “oral arguments” were also held ad infinitum!  Up to now, nothing!

There has got to be a way to make our Supreme Court less callous and capricious—and more judicious!

—GRACE PO-QUICHO, [email protected]