What strange political alchemy the country has found herself immersed in!
Historical posterity’s gain is undoubtedly another incidence of mounting disrepute for the ever darkening Duterte era! This one is a sex scandal that is masterfully self-inflicted by one so cocky and careless. Like two sides of the same coin, Solicitor General Jose Calida’s libido cannot now be possibly disintertwined from his personal ‘quo warranto’ cause celebre ---- the abusive legal legerdemain, that is threatening the very foundations of our Constitution.
Calida is the principal at the very forefront of the government sanctioned and supported diabolic ouster of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Calida shall henceforth be famous for both, jointly inseparable, quo warranto and illicit sex!
As we all know, a rabid flank of ‘Supremes’ of the High Court have not been abashed at all, publicly displaying despicable bias against their Chief Justice, appointed by President Aquino six years ago. While not a shred of ‘impeachable’ evidence has surfaced, much shameless belly-aching and petty jealousies have been strewn to bolster their obvious campaign of shaming and defaming the lady Chief Justice. The five ‘Supremes’ are Justices Teresita de Castro, Lucas Bersamin, Diosdado Peralta, Noel Tijam and Francis Jardeleza. Despite graphic evidence of their animosity towards the Chief Justice, they have all decided and behaved as accusers, prosecutors, witness and judges of the Chief Justice, vehemently refusing to recuse themselves. Despite public clamor and demands of decency.
It has even been bruited about that Justice Tijam has already written a draft of the adverse decision even before arguments were heard in the Supreme Court.
Now, for those who came late, here is a recap of the scandal, the flipside of the same coin.
The Republic’s chief attorney, Solicitor General Calida, behaving like a libidinous lothario, seduced a consenting damsel, youthful and comely, a law student/employee under his Official control and supervision. The seduction was reportedly aided with the criminal use of Office funds to the tune of Ph1.8 million. Some career civil servants, perhaps righteously concerned, disgruntled and disgusted by the events, are alleged to have been the source of this reported outrage. Thus runs the unrebutted scuttlebutt. Both the Solicitor and his Office playmate have not been heard from since and up to this moment, as we trade tales and points of view. Both are reportedly on vacation.
As a consequence of the Calida sex scandal cum escapade, should the “Supremes” still grant his “quo warranto” initiative which President Duterte has now openly owned, ousting the lady Chief Justice despite the letter and intent of the Constitution, despite the very rules by which the High Court exists, as pointed out by retired Justice Vicente Mendoza, it is inevitable that the Supreme Court stands on the precipice of ignominy, disgrace and moral disaster.
Will the ensuing public outrage be bloody? Quien sabe? It would be prudent for the “Supremes” not to forego extraordinary security precautions. There are instances when an assassination does not result in martyrdom!
Rule 66, Section 11 of the tribunal's 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure: "Nothing contained in this Rule shall be construed to authorize an action against a public officer or employee for his ouster from office unless the same be commenced within one (1) year after the cause of such ouster, or the right of the petitioner to hold such office or position, arose." ] It is therefore inevitable that Philippine society will pass judgment upon the conduct of the “shameless five,” (a collective epithet now gathering general acquiescence) and whoever assents to constitutional perfidy.
The “Shameless Supremes” will be elevating the interests of an alleged scandalous sexual predator over that of their duly appointed Chief Justice, for simple petty human snits and personality conflicts! It will be a monumental act of supine subservience unheard of in any country that outwardly professes adherence to democratic principles. And, by a constitutionally co-equal branch of the government, we must never forget! These are damning material for media headline sentiments as well as for our history books. What a shame!
Only in the Philippines! Libido trumps the Constitution! Thank you, ‘Supremes!’
Here is the painful aftermath.
The “extrajudicial” (because it will be beyond the pale of the Constitution and beyond the honor of its jurisprudence) ousting of CJ Sereno will cast open a Pandora’s box of ill-concealed but hardly ever publicly laundered, criminal-like indiscretions of some sitting magistrates of the High Court. And believe you me, such, there are! The blades of cutting revelations are now being unsheathed and sharpened. Among other retaliatory expressions of anger, for one example, it will involve monkey wrenches that could freeze retirement benefits upon its tracks. Those whose morals are ‘beyond reproach’ need not worry. And believe you me, there still are! Alas and alack, in the precariously dwindling minority!
An on-going sample activity. There is a crowdsourcing guessing game going on triggered by the activist TSM--The Silent Majority’s Ms. Jozy Acosta-Nisperos. Who is the sitting Supreme Court Justice who is alleged to have recently purchased two Roxas Blvd. properties ( presumably high end luxury condos) for Ph 20 Million plus, each? Paid in cash, too---through dummies, the neighborhood ‘bamboo radio’ network claims.
If the Justices of the Supreme Court who just cannot stand the face of CJ Sereno think that ousting her will be the terminus of their self-administered angst and hate, they had better be forewarned. The prospects of an agonizing payback and karma loom. For their persona and kin, as well as for the institution they claim to honor and revere, there is just desserts.
TSM is the same ‘social conscience’ group who also featured on Facebook video streaming the humungous residential compound of Justice Teresita L. de Castro. It is set in a block-long gated real estate with a gym and hangar-like garage, an extension of the main mansion edifice. A possible action can be taken to impede Ms. de Castro’s retirement benefits. Encashment could face an obstacle course she may never have imagined, what with whatever tales of unreported enrichment might surface. It just may come to pass that in the solitude of her old age (she retires in October) it will finally dawn upon a benighted conscience that the unwashable blot she brought upon herself was never worth all the hate and envy she spewed and vented upon her own self-sculpted nemesis, the Chief Justice.
The Supreme Court as an institution will recover. But the errant Justices’ individual reputations will not.
Rehabilitation will be painful at glacial pace and nationally traumatic. The nation’s heart will bleed.
Thank you, again, ‘Supremes.’
