The fall
A whopping vote of 8-6 ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno by a Quo Waranto petition. Wow. It was history. This is the first time ever in the Philippines that a chief justice was removed by Supreme Court itself. The place where she served following her appointment, where justices were supposedly her comrades and family. The whole concept of democracy shattered her and the rest of the country. Has it died yet? We are all now hanging by a thread.
In an exclusive interview, now Attorney Sereno faced the camera with conviction in her eyes saying that she has not robbed the country of even a single centavo. She was firm in saying that she has never compromised a decision while serving the Supreme Court. In a way, she said she was happy to have served the country wholeheartedly. I'd have to commend her work done. It was no easy feat.
I feel like I have been robbed of the rights enshrined in our Constitution. I have always thought there is separation of the branches of government. Now, it seems like it will all be for the books. The powers are being influenced by a single branch. In a way, it makes the direction of the country flow in one direction but it also kills the essence of democracy. Check and balance feels like a concept now, and that all that we have learned in Political Science are just mere ideologies and theories. Hey, welcome to reality and hello to the Philippines.
Has the former chief justice lost the fight? It might have been her fall at this level, I only hope she doesn't give up. This is a wakeup call to other officials who are not elected to position and to those who are vulnerable to impeachment. She is a symbol of a person with high morale ready to take on the challenges. Like the many others who still believe in democracy, I would still like to know why the justices voted the way they did. On the other hand, maybe not. It would only sting my heart once more.
To those who don't believe in the power of prayer, I think by this time this is the last resort. This will be the most powerful tool we have now in this doubtful country. Sereno may have been an appointee of the previous administration but unless she was proven otherwise, then there is no basis for her ouster. Even ordinary men on the streets get the privilege of being heard, how much more a respected woman of the land.
I can repeatedly hear the song sung in my favorite movies set in '80s where People Power won. I close my eyes and the situation takes me back to my youth, when I can freely lift my left fist up with shouts of pain coming out from my mouth. I'm not really sure if People Power is going to happen now, but who knows? It's a democracy anyway.
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