SC succession

At no other time has the search for successors to retiring justices of the Supreme Court attracted public attention as it has recently. The nomination process where the Judicial and Bar Council is in the forefront has been placed under the microscope. And the glare of public scrutiny appears to have been intensified by the formation of the “Bantay Korte Suprema” which has vowed to ensure that the prospective appointees are adherents to the tenets of judicial independence.

The intense public interest and scrutiny of the nominees are understandable. There will be seven vacancies in 2009. And once those vacancies are filled, all of the associate justices of the High Court would have been appointed by President Arroyo. This raises a big concern regarding the resulting objectivity of the SC on issues that would involve the Chief Executive.

These developments are proving to be a major worry among the friends of Sandiganbayan First Division presiding justice Diosdado Peralta, particularly his fellow alumni from the UST College of Law.

Peralta is rumored to be headed to the nomination list. But the concern is that Peralta may be too closely identified with President Arroyo. His father, the late Judge Elviro Peralta is known to be a bosom friend of the President’s late father, former President Diosdado Macapagal. In fact, Judge Elviro named his son, the Sandigan Justice, after the current President’s late father.

His friends are hoping that Justice Peralta would show to all that he is capable of exercising judicial independence and that if he ever lands the SC job, it would not be due to political ties.

But he is currently embroiled in a case that could merely fan the adverse perception. The case of a close political ally of the President, Rodriguez Mayor Pedro Cuerpo, unfortunately landed in Peralta’s First Division where he sits together with Associate Justices Rodolfo Ponferrada and Alexander Gesmundo.

It will be recalled that the Ombudsman has filed a case based on complaints by several residents of Rodriguez accusing Cuerpo of violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

It took the Ombudsman close to two years before filing the case. Finally, after the long wait, Justice Peralta ruled that Cuerpo must be suspended based on the law, “with no ifs or but’s”. Yet, the suspension has not been implemented.

It would be most unfortunate if the perceived lack of decisiveness on the Cuerpo case would affect the public’s view of his ability to exercise judicial independence, and in the end, affect the credibility of his bid for an SC seat.

After all it is not Justice Peralta’s fault that his family is close to the President’s. But legal experts insists that the Constitution demands no less from a member of the judiciary – a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.

Real value of calling

Amidst the current worldwide economic turmoil, a new player in the mobile telecommunications industry wants to make sure that consumers still have the freedom to stay connected on their terms — without the hassles and hidden costs that plague unlimited calling offerings of some telcos.

A product of CURE, the newest subsidiary of one of the biggest telcos in the country, red mobile is offering a value brand for the young, upscale and mobile market.

The arrival of red mobile comes as a timely respite for mobile subscribers drawn to the promise of unlimited calls — a proposition that unfortunately comes at the expense of reliability. The list of complaints includes everything from the most basic, such as network coverage and call clarity, to the absurd, like unlimited calling plans on networks which is so limited that one can’t make a call when they want to. 

Consider also the rate at which unlimited calling is being offered today; at P25 per day, consumers subscribing to certain unlimited call services can spend up to P750 a montan amount that’s not actually good a deal as it sounds given that majority of the Filipino market cannot afford to shell out P25 daily nor do they maximize the amount they spend. 

Offering a practical solution that will put an end to all these is red mobile. At just 50 centavos per call for red mobile-to-red  mobile subscribers, consumers can enjoy the lowest per-minute rate in the country. Also, red mobile allows mobile users to place phone calls down to their very last 50 centavo load and make the most out of what they spend on prepaid credits, giving red mobile subscribers a very huge advantage.

But coming into a very saturated market, red mobile also understands that consumers deserve better service when it comes to voice calls. Thus, red mobile ensures that subscribers will enjoy clear connections and countrywide 3G coverage.

Being a product anchored on both affordability and reliability, there’s no reason for anyone to put up with spotty coverage, weak or dropped signals and poor service at a price that’s hardly even worth spending. The rise of this new value brand is set to give mobile users a powerful voice by making sure that they get the most reliable service and the strongest coverage aside from the lowest per minute voice rates in the market today.

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