Enter the World Bank

Today is the day. This is the day when the historic event that is the impeachment trial of a Supreme Court Justice begins, with the selected members of the Senate performing the roles of judges. The congressmen had already done their part, they were the ones who clinched the impeachment case for Chief Justice Renato Corona, the head of the Supreme Court appointed by former president Gloria Arroyo to complete her appointees in that judicial body.

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We have seen the efforts of the protagonists, the congressmen on one hand, and the justices and the lawyers on the other, both trying to destroy the credibility of the other. On the part of the Chief Justice, we have seen photos of him, his family and supporters, piously attending daily masses, invoking a higher intervention to save his position. On the part of the prosecuting congressmen, no stone has been left unturned that could reveal proof of the failure of Corona to live up to the demands of his high office as far as ethics and morality are concerned.

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It has been tit for tat those past few months, with the tension building up and certainly further escalating today. The country will be focused on the trial which, fortunately for all of us, will be fully covered by the media, especially television, which will give us, not only news about what is happening, but even views of the body language, both of the defendant and the prosecutors and judges. Are people betting now on which side they believe will triumph?

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I don’t know of any, but an item that came out in the media yesterday about the note verbale of the World Bank on the way the Corona Court had handled the funds loaned to it by the World Bank for the institution of reforms, could be another nail on the lid of the impeachment case. The World Bank says that the $29 million it has loaned for the purpose had not been used as intended and that the alleged “reforms” were considered “unsatisfactory.” The international financial institution is even demanding the refund of $199,000 that was supposedly used on unauthorized or ineligible expenses. The WB note also mentioned payments to the travel agency owned by one of the Corona counsels, influential lawyer Estelito Mendoza. Now what?

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Meanwhile, lawyers and law students should focus all their attention on this trial because they will learn a lot from it that they may not have known about lawyering before. Look out for ploys to delay the proceedings, to trap the prosecutors and to confuse the judge-senators. Perhaps they should also hold debates on what is to become of the Supreme Court in the event (!) that Corona is acquitted and returns to duty. Will the entire court not become like Humpty Dumpty who had a great fall, and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men, could not put together again?

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As for the man of the moment, Corona, he has been piously declaring that he bears no grievance against anybody and that he has forgiven them all. Oh my! I was afraid he would also say “Forgive them for they know not what they do”. Well, it is not his fault that he has a face and an expression that does not in any way resemble those of the crucified Lord. I hope he does not also plan to tell his fellow justices later: “This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise,” that is, back in the august halls of the Supreme Court!

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Meanwhile, 13 more congressmen have declared their support for the impeachment of Corona. This comes quite late in the day, when the trial is all set to begin, but, note that they bring the total number of pro-impeachment solons to 201. Thirteen – could there be a Judas among them? Well, maybe they saw the light only later, and should not be surprised if the spokespersons of the respondent again cry that they were bribed by pork barrel largesse they could not refuse.

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Meanwhile, that was a horrible accident that happened to the cruise ship “Costa Concordia” that crashed into a reef while on a Mediterranean voyage. Reports compared the incident to the Titanic sinking, because the passengers were mostly well-heeled people on vacation, and came from Germany, Italy and France. Reports said they were having dinner and were in formal evening clothes when the ship listed and they found themselves in the icy waters. By the way, 300 of the crew members were Filipinos, but it was not known yet as of this writing who they were, and what their jobs were in the vessel.*

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