Carlos Ma. Francisco B.

Estrella III BSEd major in English The Corona impeachment trial It is said that The social message of the Gospel must guide the Church in her twofold pastoral activity: that of helping men and women to discover the truth and to choose the path that they will follow, and that of encouraging Christians to bear witness with a spirit of service to the Gospel in the field of social activity. (Compendium, No. 525) In the world today, people tend to be blinded by the things the world is offering: Riches, Power, Fame and Glory. Because of this, many of us have forgotten the true essence of the social teachings, especially to those who are holding positions in the public office. Yes, we the lay faithful are encouraged to participate in the social and political life as said in number 565 of the compendium: For the lay faithful, political involvement is a worthy and demanding expression of the Christian commitment of service to others and yet, The tasks accompanying responsibilities in social and political institutions demand a strict and articulated commitment that is able to demonstrate clearly the absolute necessity of the moral dimension in social and political life through thoughtful contributions to the political debate, planning and the chosen actions. (Compendium, No. 566) The inadequate attention of the moral dimension may lead the whole society into chaos, just like the situation our country is facing now: wars here and there, dirty politics, graft and corruption, and other forms of sins in the political arena. And yet, some of us dont even care to take notice of these. Others even say thats none of our business! As if were politicians! Its their problem now. As citizens of our dear motherland and also as Christians, we have a say on such things as these. No wonder groups are being formed, both on the right and left wing of the government. Take this for instance: as of the moment, Chief Justice Renato Corona is now being impeached at the House of Representatives. In the history of the Philippines, this will be the first time that a Chief Justice will undergo an impeachment trial. This trial is expected to go on for a maximum of six months, depending on how the senator - judges will act, also the prosecutors. According to initial reports, Corona is accused of betrayal of public trust, violation of the Constitution, and graft and corruption. A little history about him: Corona is the 23rd and current Chief Justice, appointed on May 12, 2010 by Former President now Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo two days after the 2010 Presidential Election and a month before her term expires. He succeeded Reynato Puno as he reached the mandatory age of retirement. It is said that the appointment is part of the so called Midnight Appointments, which violates Section. 15, Article 7 of the Philippine Constitution. On December 12, 2011, the members of the House of Representatives signed an impeachment complaint against him, with House Justice Committee Chairman Niel Tupas presenting the complaint because of the said charges in eight articles, among the issues tackled are the following: his failure of filing his Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth, the mere fact that he owned 45 properties scattered in some areas in Metro Manila, and the appointment of his wife to a government corporation despite it being prohibited since he was already in the Supreme Court. According to the constitution, only 95 signatures are necessary for the impeachment of Corona by the House of Representatives. They got 188 signatories, proving that they are in favor of putting Corona in Trial. Then the impeachment complaint was transmitted to the Senate for trial.

Going back, Tupas believed that they have a very serious allegation against Corona, a very strong case as they say, and described the impeachment as a move by the House to exercise its power to check on the judiciary, one of the checks and balances provided under the Constitution. Malacanang reiterated that the impeachment trial is not an attack on the whole Judiciary, but instead a move to restore the credibility of the Supreme Court according to deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte. She said: This is not against the Judiciary. This is against one person whose accountability is being established. This is neither against the judges nor their institution but this is precisely for the institution that they say they have committed to uphold. Reading the allegations against Corona, I cant help but pity him. If the prosecutors proved that these allegations are true, I may say that he indeed betrayed not just the government, but the whole country as well. But, in my own point of view, having such trials as these will cost money. And this trial may affect our economy, basing on our economys current state. You may say Its none of our business! yet, as explained earlier, we have a say on such things as this. We cannot just leave this behind and go on with our lives as if nothing happened, because in the end if ever all the branches of government failed, we will just say to ourselves I could have done something Where is justice in that? It is just like saying Justice Denied. This cannot continue forever. We cannot let ourselves continually be confused on which side we should take. Yes, Corona deserves a speedy trial, guilty or not. Yet, it does not mean that they will not do a fair trial as well. Our countrys courts in the past have experienced trials, which led to some injustices, especially to people who are actually defenseless (most especially the poor). Yes, Corona may be rich, but we cannot let the same thing happen to him. Guilty if he is guilty of because of the allegations, but he definitely deserves a fair trial at least to see of the allegations are true. But this does not only apply to him, but to everyone else who deserves to have a fair trial. At least we can now say Justice served guilty or not. What can we do now? We must learn from this situation. We cannot let ourselves be oppressed and served with injustice. I am not saying that Im siding with Corona or the government, but the mere fact that everyone deserves a clean and honest trial, where justice will be served. Also, we deserve to have a clean and honest government (that includes the judiciary branch of the government.) Lets apply it to our everyday life, even if youre a student. If youre serving in the Student Council, serve with all your strength, without any biases or favoritisms. All must be fair. If youre just an ordinary student, follow the rules and regulations of the school. You can help in small ways. And if you will ask me whether to continue or not, I say they continue the trial. The earlier the senate resolves this case, the better so that we can focus more on the needs of our country.