A chanceto be a hero?
In the monumental and earthshaking decision of the Supreme Court to remove Chief Justice Sereno via Quo Warranto, two people missed their chance to be a hero. Maybe, not the superhero kind shown in the movies, or a national hero, but a hero nevertheless to millions of Filipinos who understand the issues involved and who wanted the rule of law to prevail, and give every Filipino his day in court.
The first would be Justice Francis Jardeleza. It is well-known that Jardeleza has a personal animosity against Sereno for trying to exclude him from the short list in the nomination for justices for the Supreme Court. In fact, he testified before Congressio against Sereno. Still, his character, intelligence, and personal circumstances points to a nobler temperament. A brilliant lawyer, a Bar topnotcher, a highly-regarded corporate lawyer, and an organized deliberate personality, I had expected him to transcend the emotional and political atmosphere of the removal of Sereno via Quo Warranto. Had he voted with the six justices opposed to the proceeding, the vote would have been 7-7 and Sereno would not be removed by the court, and the Senate acting as a court would be the proper forum to impeach her. He missed the opportunity to be a hero to the people who admired him and countless others.
The second person is President Duterte. Nobody can really believe that he did not have a hand in Sereno's removal. The actions of the subservient congressmen, that the solicitor general brought up the petition, and the rhetoric of his allies all point in one direction. There were many opportunities for him to avert the actions, but maybe due to his personal predisposition and intentions, and none of his advisers foresaw or convinced him of the unintended consequences of these actions, the eviction train kept moving. Had the vote went 7-7 or 8-6 in favor of Sereno, or had the five justices inhibited from the proceedings, Duterte would have come out smelling like a rose for maintaining judicial independence and respect for the law. And these are the very issues that are allegedly against him. He has been described as a "strongman leader." The main and social coverage of this eviction of Sereno is very extensive and negative to the government; that all Law associations, most lawyers, even some of his senator allies, students, civil society, and the religious have expressed their opinions against the Supreme Court ruling and against the government. The good news about the Philippine economy growing 6.8 percent in the first quarter, the resolution of the Kuwait diplomatic fiasco, the possible upgrading of the country's credit rating, the resumption of peace talks with the NDF, the Boracay rehabilitation, and other favorable news for the government were relegated and overwhelmed by the Supreme Court decision which could have been avoided.
Most Filipinos would like the Duterte government to succeed as it will be good for the country and the people. But they also expect government officials to act responsibly and listen to the sentiment of the people. Duterte has a personality that he is asking the people to tolerate, but he should also be able to tolerate and allow people to vent their sentiments. From a strategic viewpoint, some of the actions of the president and government are counterproductive and disadvantageous to its own interest. His ambivalence on his position and his feelings of the burden of the presidency has got something to do with this predicament, but since he is now at the helm of the nation, he should do his best.
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