The impeachment telenovela

Every day of the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona presents us a jarring or thought-provoking issue that remains for the most of the public the topic of debates.

Of course, it is just the first week of the trial, and already there have been exchanges especially one that included complaints from the defense panel that some senator-judges, notably Senator Franklin Drilon, had been giving the signals to the prosecution on what they should do.

But there was an eye-catching drama that caught our attention. It was the heart-throbbing predicament of Enriquetta Vidal, the Supreme Court’s clerk of court. For some time, she tried to wriggle of the request to produce the SALN of Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona.

But there was no gainsaying that she must have wrestled long and hard on whether she could obey the subpoena duces tecum of the Impeachment Court of the Senate – to submit the SALN before it.

Unfortunately, the prosecution lawyer had never asked her whether she had the copy of the SALN with her. But it was the timely rejoinder by Senator Franklin Drilon that she finally admitted that she had it with her. And she was again ordered by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to submit the SALN.

I could understand the dilemma that she was laboring under. Would she dare risk a punitive administrative case against her for having done what the Supreme Court en banc had said should be given only if it gave her the go signal.

She requested a postponement so she could secure the concurrence of the high tribunal en banc. But the impeachment court insisted that she follows its order.

In fairness to Ms. Vidal, the senator-judges assured her that she should not be afraid of any administrative sanction by the high court.

And when she received the go-signal from CJ to go ahead, she furnished them the SALN.

That brought to the fore the question of how the Supreme Court justices would react after the proceedings are over.

I guess the members of the high court would rise beyond their personal pique. After all, the order was for finally agreeing to what the Senate Court had ordered her to do that could present a constitutional crisis.

More government officials may soon find themselves caught in the same dilemma as Ms. Vidal. The issue seems to be easy. The Senate was a legitimate constitutional body. The order was legitimate. It may have derailed the controversies of the Supreme Court ruling against disclosure of the SALN to doubtful persons.

It is easy to resolve the problem. Unless the one concerned is the official.

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Yesterday, President Benigno Aquino III resolved the issue of the NBI director Gatdula when he said that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was already looking for his replacement at the helm of the NBI.

This, despite the fact that Gatdula’s counsel, came out wailing against the orders as unfair indictment of Gatdula who was recommended for ouster despite the lack of a preliminary investigation.

That, however, is if Gatdula is among those charged for kidnapping and extorting money from Japanese woman, Norivo Ohara.

The filing of charges against Gatdula and several other ranking NBI officials will have to depend on the outcome of the preliminary investigation.

The question, however, is that Gatdula is a presidential appointee and his continued stay at the helm of the country’s premier police position depends solely on the President.

And, if the President said Secretary de Lima was already looking for his replacement, then that virtually means Gatdula has received his walking papers.

Maybe, Gatdula will be cleared by the preliminary investigation by the DOJ panel but the harsh reality is that President’s trust in him had already been lost.

***

Bacolodnons may have finally been jarred by the open falling out between City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Rep. Anthony Golez.

It has actually long been bruited around among media circles that Bing and Anthony are not seeing eye-to-eye. But it was only yesterday that Rep. Golez finally came on with his criticism of the scheduled risk reduction summit in Bacolod offered by Senator Aquilino Pimentel.

He called it as a waste of money and instead said the money could address the garbage problem that is potentially a trigger for disaster.

That was a surprise for me. Just before his announced position, Rep. Golez was sitting with me beside Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson during the program for the observance of the death anniversary of Ilonggo national hero, Gracia Lopez Jaena, at the Lopez Jaena Elementary School.

But I never heard exchanges between Sayson and Golez on the issue of garbage because Vice Mayor Sayson was the one tasked by Leonardia to handle the garbage problem.

I only noticed later that Congressman Golez transferred himself to the rear of the cavernous hall after his speech.

Although that was something that alerted me to something amiss, I never realized that the Bacolod Congressman was going to come out against the risk reduction summit.

Golez correctly declared that Bacolod City does not need a summit which is just a waste of money. A “dirty city will not make the city a winner of a clean and green contests, and a top destination of tourists and investors, but will pose danger to its residents,” was how he put it in the news reports.

Garbage, he added, “will clog the drainage system, trigger flooding, and pose public health problems.”

He also said that he had ensured that Bacolod has the equipment and the response capability to assist that are now ready in place.

Well, I, for one, had pointed out recently that piles of garbage dotted the circumferential road and main streets of the city, including Lacson Street going to Bata. And daily, local dailies have been including photos of garbage piles in various areas of the city.

That, I think, is the opening salvo of the now open rift between Leonardia and Congressman Golez. Interesting.*

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