HELLO PO, TORONTO!
‘Come to court prepared.’
Who would think that the presiding judge of the impeachment court hearing the Chief Justice’s case would finally remind lawyers of this?
‘Kakahiya,’ say some high school students pa naman. Kasi nga, mistulang mga estudyanteng not ready for class ang ilang mga abogado sa hearing na ire. The prosecution lawyers, to be exact, iyan ang sapantaha ng marami..
This was evident on the first week of trial when halos nilamon ng defense lead counsel na si former Supreme Court Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas ang mga abogado who belonged to the prosecution camp. Naamoy siguro ng defense na malambot ang tuhod ng mga taga prosecution.
Nangagapa, nauutal, at parang nginig ang boses ng mga ito lalo na ang designated prosecution lead counsel na si Cong. Neal Tupaz na dapat sana should come out as very eloquent, super confident and able to explain and fight for the impeachment case.
Which lead many to wonder- wala man lang kayang ni isang nagpaalala sa prosecution panel sa tungkol dito? Wala man lang bang ni isa dun sa 188 congressmen na pumirma sa impeachment document knew of the effect of showing the prosecution panel’s lack of preparation during the trial that is on ‘live’ tv and radio?
Very cruel nga naman ang ilang forms of media-lalo na sa television. Sa porma pa lang- napapataba nito ang mapapayat; namamagnify nito ng maraming beses kung anumang kakulangan mayroon ang isang taong naglakas- loob umapir onscreen.
So far, the impression most people get of the prosecution panel is that it is inept.
A long time ago, when I was a student and not so busy with extracurricular active-ties, chief of which ay pag- aaktibista, I would talagang make sure that I was prepared before entering the classroom- baon ang homework and ready for recitation. Feel na feel ko kasi noon ang value ng ‘appreciation’ ng aking titser whenever many students participated in class discussions. Natural, di ko naman inibig na hindi makasali sa mga ‘appreciated’- ginusto ko namang matandaan ni Maa’m agad ang aking pangalan, see her nods of approval often, and even throw me a smile when she passes by the hallway or in the cafeteria- di pa marami noon ang mga mayayabang na batang iniisnab- isnab ang mga m’aam and sirs. Kami noon ay magalang at nagbibigay- pitagan dito sa mga taong gumiya sa pagbuo sa aming formal education.
With my fellow students naman, dalawa ang reaksyon sa kinarir kong diligence- imbyerna sila kasi recite ako ng recite (yabang ni sagun, pumapel na naman!) and there were a few na humanga naman sa kasipagan ko to memorize details lalo na sa subject of history(‘sama kami sa review mo, ha?’, request nila).
And so it was that when I went to work years later, that practice of being prepared was so ingrained in me that seldom ako sumablay ng major- major. I would imagine of problems I would meet along the way to the fulfillment of a task that I had Plan B’s and C’s ready for such surprises.
Kaya nga hindi ko talaga mawari kung bakit matindi ang pagkasablay ng prosecution sa pagtatanggol ng kanilang posisyon even at this early stage- first impression counts substantially kasi. Of course, one wishes na matindi agad ang positive dating nya before sa kung sino man he is trying to convince or impress.
Lalo na pa because the prosecution group knows, as everyone knows that most if not all of them have no real experience as participants in real court proceedings.
At lalo na rin because that group, as everybody knows also, will be pitting its talent against a defense panel that has been dubbed ‘the dream team’, a super powerhouse of seasoned and experienced lawyers used to winning their cases.
There were 30 lawyers daw who volunteered to defend the embattled Supreme Court Justice against accusations that will lead to his impeachment. E, pakibasa nyo nga po ang listahan ng mga abogadong napasama finally sa defense panel:
Mga nagsipag graduate sa University of the Philippines, considered still the country’s topnotch school of learning:
Serafin Cuevas- lead counsel, 40 years experience as law professor at UP College of Law and more years as law practitioner; he was one- time Secretary of Justice; associate justice of the Supreme Court and President of New Era University of the influential Iglesia ni Kristo;
Ramon Esguerra- former Undersecretary of Justice and now managing partner at Esguerra and Blanco Law Office, he teaches at the UP Law School, he was one of the lawyers tapped to defend former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide in the impeachment case filed against him in the year 2003, he was at one time acting chairman of the Board of Pardons and Parole, he is now general counsel for the Integrated Bar of the Philippines;
Tranquil Salvador III- he also took subjects at the Ateneo Law School, he is former dean of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay Law School and is now a UP professor, he is a partner with Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc and delos Angeles Law Offices;
Joel Bodegon- practiced for a while at the Office of the Solicitor General, he is now managing partner at Bodegon Estorminos Guerzon Borje and Gozos Law Offices, he also teaches at the Lyceum of the Philippines College of Law;
Karen Jimeno- finished her law degree cum laude, finished her Masters’ degree at the prestigious Harvard University in the U. S. A.;
Noel Lazaro- connected with Siguion- Reyna Montecillo and Ongsiako Law Offices,
Rico Paolo Quicho, partner in Quicho and Angeles Law offices, he is an expert in litigation. He is also with the team that is defending Civil Service Commission Chief Francisco Duque III in a corruption issue with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA )
Mga alumni naman ng Ateneo de Manila College of Law, pinakasosyal daw na Law School sa kasalukuyan:
Jacinto Jimenez- Professor at Ateneo Law School; he is described as ‘a genius gifted with a photographic memory’, he placed 3rd in the bar examinations in 1968, he is a partner in Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc and de los Angeles Law Offices;
Eduardo delos Angeles- former dean of Ateneo Law School, he obtained his Masters degree at the Columbnia Law School at Columbia University, he is a former President of the Philippine Stock Exchange, is at present managing partner in the law firm Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc and delos Angeles;
Jose Roy III- former dean of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Law, former President of that university, he started jis career as Chief of Staff of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Andres Narvasa;
Dennis Manalo- professor at the Lyceum of the Philippines College of Law, he is connected with Siguion- Reyna Montecillo and Ongsiako Law Offices;
And German Lichauco II, also of Siguion- Reyna Montecillo and Ongsiako Law Offices.
Di pa po kasama dyan ang sangkatutak na legal advisers ni CJCorona- probono all, if we are believe that camp’s press releases
So there, Senate Pres. Juan Ponce Enrile who generally acted like a true ‘manong’ to both panels for the past first week (mapagbigay, mabait, mahinahon) now sounds exasperated.
Instructions for lawyers to be prepared were given- no playing it by ear, sabi pa ni Enrile.’When you step into court, you are on your own…You must be able to think on your feet. You can not go to the library. You can not consult anybody. You have to use your knowledge of the laws and the rules and your preparation,’ dagdag pa nya.
‘Hmmm, di nga lang kaya, itong pagtatanga- tangahan is a ploy by the prosecution panel?, ‘ask ng aking suspityosong former classmate sa UP. Gustong mag- ala David against the defense panel’s Goliath?
‘Hehe, me tulog sila,’ sagot naman ni ader classmate.’ Kasi yung maliit na batong ipinupukol nila, so far di nakaka abot sa mata ni Goliath- meaning kulang sa lakas, kulang sa diskarte, etc.’
So, for us, spectators, let us just hope that ‘magtino’ na ang dapat magtino… mainly because baka manawa ang public sa kakanood at kakadinig ay di na kayo ma declare na ‘toprating’ at the media charts…isa pa andyan na si lady Sen. Miriam Santiago, feisty after her weeks’- long bedrest and fresh na fresh and ganado from her glorious win as one of the judges voted to the International Criminal Court of the United Nations.
‘Hwag nang pa- epal,’ say ni Sen. Miriam.
Agree lahat dyan- after all it’s the truth the nation is after.
THANK YOU PO, TORONTO!
