In Inquirer’s the Nov. 13 issue, a news item (“2 judges in hot water over Espinosa killing,” News) reported that the Supreme Court has ordered the Office of the Court Administrator to investigate the actuations of judges involved in the case of detained—now dead as a doornail—Albuera (Leyte) Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr.
One judge in Samar allegedly issued ridiculous search warrants on Espinosa and these were used in a covert operation to barge into his prison cell and do him in, mafia-style. Another judge in Leyte took his own sweet time to act on an obviously urgent motion to transfer Espinosa to another “safer” jail. From all appearances, the scenario looked well-orchestrated.
If truth be told, as far as court proceedings in this country are concerned, there was absolutely nothing new or eyebrow-raising about the actuations of the judges now under investigation. Issuance of downright silly orders and long inaction on pending motions are ordinary occurrences that cause so much delay in the administration of justice, and importunings from lawyers and litigants alike for faster disposition just fall on deaf ears.
It has taken a horrible and deadly scandal of this magnitude for the Supreme Court to act “motu proprio.” I was at a loss trying to discern any “compelling reason” why the Samar judge issued search warrants against a person already in government custody, and why the Leyte judge failed to resolve the motion to transfer Espinosa to another detention facility even though it should normally require just a day to deal with such a simple motion.
With due respect, no-brainer motions should take within an hour or so to resolve but, very often, judges use up 60 days to do that (if at all)—the time limit set by some rules of the Supreme Court. Truly, had that motion been quickly resolved, Espinosa might still be alive and preserved for an important testimony he was expected to give following his disclosure of more than 200 VIPs in and outside the government complicit in the illegal drug trade one way or another. But as the saying goes, dead men tell no tales.
Alas, what does it profit any whistle-blower to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth under a justice system that stinks to high heavens? Not too long ago, Jun Lozada had blown the whistle on the NBN-ZTE rent-seeking deal, where very high government officials were said to have received kickbacks in the hundreds of millions of pesos—and guess what, Lozada wound up being the one sent to jail!
JEREMIAS H. TOBIAS, jeremhech@gmail.com