Justices who are turning Supreme Court into a circus

SUPREME COURT spokesperson Theodore Te downplayed the “turmoil” written about in a front-page article of the April 10 issue of the Inquirer, titled “SC in turmoil: Justices bicker over Poe ruling.” Said Te: “Totally inappropriate…. Differences of opinion were typical in the way the 15-member court decide cases. Dissents… on highly charged cases are part and parcel of collegiality.”

Of course, Te would say anything to keep his job. But the inconvenient and ugly truth is, the justices were bickering like sophomores!

Associate Justice Arturo Brion, one of the most vocal dissenters, doubled down on his own insult by saying “the majority was simply banking on the force of numbers”! That was really “inappropriate,” uncalled for. What was he saying? That the majority did not use their brains?

For his part, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio called the 9-6 majority decision “a mockery of the electoral process”! Angry words like those invite public ridicule toward the Court and foster nothing but instability of the justice system.

Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo was the corniest: He did not want to wake up one day finding the country he loves so much being run by a foreigner! Seriously? Whatever happened to sobriety in those hallowed halls? The actuations of those who are “passionately” against foundlings being deemed natural-born citizens have turned the Supreme Court into a circus!

Let me correct that. Those dissenters do not abhor foundlings, per se. They simply hate candidate Grace Poe, a mere “pulot,” finding the nerve to run for president.

Jurisprudence has long held, without any noticeable dissent, that citizens who did not have to undergo “naturalization” are “necessarily” deemed natural-born. Over time, thousands of foundlings found in this country have lived their lives as natural-born Filipinos and applied for government certifications as such Filipinos with no one raising an eyebrow. Many of them may have become judges and justices (which requires “natural-born” citizenship to qualify for appointment thereto).

So, is this just “politics”? Good Lord, what kind of justices do we have, presuming to have the unerring power to preside over the lives and fortunes of the Filipino people?

—JEREMIAS H. TOBIAS, [email protected]