Clever and powerful always had their way

I have to applaud President Aquino for having the courage and principle to hold a partisan Supreme Court to account.

Too often we have seen how those in our nation, having had the wherewithal to place themselves in positions of supreme authority, abuse those positions for their own selfish, personal purposes.

Isn’t it the reason we as a nation are so sensitive to it? Isn’t it the reason we can recognize it when we see it?

So from the grand tradition ironically initiated by the Church through their frailes, we can fast-forward to Marcos and martial law, fast-forward again to Ampatuan and his fiefdom in Maguindanao, and finally come to Renato Corona and his Court. The question always asked and never answered is, “When will this stop?”

It stops when we call people to account. This is what P-Noy is doing and, more importantly, this is what we want him to do. That in fact is his mandate—if he does nothing else but this kind of thing, most of us would be happy, given the record of his predecessor.

Cut through all the sophistry, and just do what’s right because, for far too long, the clever and the powerful have had their own unjust way, and our poor country has had no champion to stand against patent injustice.

While our nation goes on its way on the path of civic maturity, I’ll accept the champion, in lieu of the system.

May araw tayong lahat. Dapat lang na harapin natin ang sa atin.

—JAY MENDOZA,
jose.manrico@gmail.com