Sereno’s real problem

Batas Mauricio

AS things are developing at the moment, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Aranal Sereno should be glad an impeachment complaint was filed against him by an obscure lawyer. If, as she and her lawyers are saying, the charges against her are fabricated, then it is going to be easy for Sereno to dodge those charges and ultimately sidetrack the case.

The only problem in the Philippines is that, those who are given the privilege of investigating the impeachment charges against her–congressmen from the lower chamber of Congress–usually do not look at the evidence adduced by the contending parties because the rule there is simple–he who has the number, prevails.

If there will be more lawmakers who will say Sereno should be tried by the Senate as an impeachment court, even if the evidence of the complainant is absolutely insufficient, trial it will be for her. This is the same rule in the Senate. We already saw the reality of senators sitting as impeachment judges not relying on the evidence, but on their mere whim and caprice, or on the dictates of someone who is pulling their strings.

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I don’t know about you but I am quite happy with the very decisive decision-making process that the Duterte government is employing on information reaching the President about probable wrongdoings of the members of his Cabinet. I am also happy with the public disclosure of the bits and pieces of information that were relied upon in ousting the officials.

What I refer to here were the disclosures of presidential spokesman Harry Roque pertaining to the grounds upon which former Information and Communications Technology Secretary Rodolfo Salalima and former Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Dionisio Santiago were sacked or unceremoniously removed from office.

At least, our countrymen are now allowed some understanding on why Salalima and Santiago were ousted. Whether the grounds for their removal are true or not, it has become clear to everyone that Duterte officials installed by him in sensitive positions must do their job well, not only because they are liable for immediate sacking, but they could even be ridiculed and pilloried publicly.

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Favorable reaction from the citizenry was what greeted the news that President Duterte is now talking to China to enable a Chinese company to do business here as a cellular and Internet provider. This only shows that Filipinos are now really agitated over the kind of service coming from Globe and PLDT-Smart-Sun.

And who is not going to be agitated? Customers have been religiously and regularly paying their bills with these companies yet their service stinks, even if it is most often unavailable. What is even more reprehensible is that, they charge their customers relentlessly even during days that there was no service at all. And, if there is delay in the payment of bills even for a mere fraction of a second, connections are cut off right away.

Whether or not the Chinese company ultimately comes in to do business in the Philippines, it would be well for Globe and PLDT-Smart-Sun to always remember what the Bible is saying, that it is not only money that is important in this world and beyond, but the salvation of souls. Even if an individual is rich and could buy the whole world but his soul is going to destruction anyway, his riches will be of no use to him.

E-mail: batasmauricio@yahoo.com