Privilege Speech of Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello
14 December 2011
Dear Colleagues, I was watching the speech of Mr. Renato Corona this afternoon, and I observed that this is a very, very political speech by a gentleman who has been so instrumental in politicizing the Supreme Court.
Indeed when he was speaking, Mr. Speaker, I was reminded of the slogan of many people in the legal profession when he accepted the appointment of Chief Justice. Ito hong slogang ‘to read: “Punong mahistrado, hindi dapat bastardo.” Uulitin ko po, ito ho ang slogan noon of so many in the legal profession who opposed his appointment: “Punong mahistrado, hindi dapat bastardo.”
Alam nating lahat ang ginawang pambabastos ni Corona sa ating Saligang Batas noong s’ya ay hiranging Chief Justice ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo noong May 2010. Against all constitutionally prescribed limits to the appointment of government officials, Gloria made the midnight appointment and Corona wholeheartedly accepted it. Yun ho ang original sin. Yun ho ang original sin that we are now trying to correct by impeaching this false, untrue Chief Justice who does not deserve to belong in his position.
Mr. Speaker and dear colleagues, as I was listening to the speech of Mr. Corona, I could only have one thing going thru my mind. And that was the English word B.S. Lahat po ng sinabi ni Corona, sa tinging ko ay B.S. I will not spell out that acronym. Let me just say that what was going on in my mind was, given his record of a thorough defender and lapdog and bulldog of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo evident in all his decisions, what came to my mind was, what a hypocrite, what a crook.
This man was speaking to a crowd that is thoroughly isolated minority of the Filipino people. This was the defense of a man that is in panic. He was saying that this was an assault on the separation of powers, on the judiciary. No, Mr. Corona, this is an effort to get you out of an institution that you have bastardized with your thorough lapdog loyalty to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. This is what it is all about.
Mr. Speaker, this man, this lapdog, this H.S. dared to accuse the President of about to be declaring a dictatorship. Mr. Speaker and dear colleagues, this is very far from reality. And his spokesman, his pawn, Mr. Midas Marquez, has repeated the same accusation, and accused us of being party to the subjugation of Congress to the President. This is really terse, and should not be coming from the spokesman of the Supreme Court, and, definitely, should not be coming from the Chief Justice.
But I understand where the Chief Justice is coming from. These are the words of a condemned man, the words of somebody who has been condemned by his actions.
The 188 of us, and more who will be signing this impeachment complaint, did right. We did right for the people. This is what the Filipino people need; we need to get this Chief Justice, who has bastardized the Supreme Court, out of power, and we know that the senate of the Republic of the Philippines will uphold this impeachment complaint. ###
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