My idol, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago

The week in Philippine history was a circus

Photo courtesy of csmonitor.com

The recent weeks in the Philippine history was suddenly in commotion- all because of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA). Even Joseph Estrada's incarceration, also a former president, was overshadowed by the events of GMA's. She had it big time.

But a lawyer named Ariel Salvador Magno summarized the week in just ten points. I could not agree more.

1. Supreme Court can be ignored.
2. It’s not true that we have three co-equal branches of government. The Executive is the most powerful branch. It can do no one.
3. Congress... is Congress. Res Ipsa Loquitor (The thing speaks for itself, for us who do not know this lawyer's talk haha).
4. The Bill of Rights applies only to the good ones not the evil ones.
5. Karma is so powerful.
6. If you did not do your job, blame others, especially the Supreme Court.
7. No matter how powerful you were or still are, you will be held accountable!
8. Institutions in the Philippines... wait what institutions?
9. The end justifies the means.
10. Some are more righteous than others. We are doing the same wrong things that you did but this time it’s us who are doing them, so tama lang.

(The above ten points were quoted from Ellen Tordesillas at ellentordesillas.com.)

Interesting happenings at Philippine courts

Sometimes, you could not believe your senses when upon waking up you are greeted by news like these:

Lauro Vizconde pleads to the whole nation to help him find the real killers after the acquittal of Webb and six others.

Supreme Court clears Webb, 6 others in Vizconde massacre.  After 15 years of serving sentence at the National Bilibid Prison, Hubert Webb, a son of a former senator, was released because the Supreme Court found the evidence insufficient, for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Webb and others were proven guilty by the lower courts of murdering the Vizcondes: Estrellita, the mother; Carmela, 18 who was raped before being killed; and Jennifer, 7.

Imelda Marcos gets back Leyte mansion, thanks to SC.  The Supreme Court returns to Imelda a beachfront mansion in Leyte which is believed to be part of the Marcos loot and was seized after the popular revolt. The property has 17-room mansion, a golf course, swimming pool, cottages and a pavilion. Moreover, the Sandiganbayan also rejected the government's ownership of a 25-hectare lot and mansion of the Marcoses in Cabuyao, Laguna.

The comfort women during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines still waiting for justice

Impeach raps filed vs SC justive over 'plagiarism'.  A Supreme Court justice, Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, is accused of plagiarizing his ruling on the case of comfort women. An Akbayan representative to the Congress said- This plagiarism is a very clear example of dishonesty as a system that is being tolerated by the SC.

Miriam: PNoy's legal team inadequate in legal education.  The frank Senator Miriam Santiago again questions the competence of the legal team of President Aquino after Malacanang's EO 1 was rejected by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. 

The infamous Hayden camera

Court dismisses case vs Kho.  Hayden Kho was accused of violating RA 9262 (Anti-Violence against Women and Children Law) after his steamy sex videos with several women went viral on the internet. The case was dismissed because the mere act of videotaping their sex act—even without the actress’ knowledge and consent—could not be considered a violation of R. A. 9262.

BE NOT AFRAID SENATOR!

Meanwhile, another fugitive of the law in the Philippines who could not be found and remains very elusive is Senator Panfilo Lacson. 

WHAT'S GOING ON?



Comfort women pic grabbed from Ellen Tordesillas website
Vizconde supporters pic from FTP-Yahoo!
Ping Lason pic from mang1pinoy.wordpress.com