Chief Justice Corona dramatics flopped

CJ Corona's composure before he took the witness stand was excellent and I think he was in good health when he stepped down the witness stand. The statement he snarled would clearly show that he was grandstanding inside the impeachment court and trying to wield his power and authority as Chief Justice which was a blatant challenge and disrespect of the Senate seating as an impeachment court. I was near to believe him and even the court itself were it not of his challenging the 189 Congressman and a Senator to sign also a waiver. Why he did that? He is a lawyer and he knows well the workings inside a court.

CJ Corona must remember that he took the oath before he seated at the witness stand. The Senate President and the Senator-Judges as well as the Congressman are elected representatives of the people whom I believe have the authority to impeach an try whether he is guilty or not. It is a constitutional authority that emanates from the people who elected them. While on the other hand, CJ Corona was only "appointed" by ex-pres. Arroyo by virtue of her sole trust and confidence and long association.

Moreover, by the time that he stood at the witness stand, he should have been treated as any ordinary witness with all the rights accorded to by the constitution and existing laws. His statement before he went down of the witness stand clearly amplify disrespect and a mock to the senate institution. He was trying to wield his authority as Chief Justice inside the impeachment court. It was a daring move which would only amplify or admission of the guilt, if there be any found against him. He should have narrowed his testimony according to the complaint and not of the black propaganda which he clearly knows inadmissible in court.

It would have been better if he stayed calm and focus to the case at hand and minded out those “black propaganda” he claimed to have affected him and his family.

I believe he forgot that he was seating as a “Witness” and not as a “Chief Justice.” By this time, the credibility of all his statements in his “senate monologue” could not serve him better but worsened his case.

Be that as it may, this first impeachment proceedings against the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court would be a clear precedent for the Congress of the Republic of the Philippines to pass a law that would strengthen further the authority of the impeachment court. Although, the three branches of the bureaucracy should stand as an independent institution in the pursuit of democracy and for purposes of balance in authority, the Supreme Court should remember that the basis of their present is by “appointment” from those elected by the people and their authority does not, in any manner, delimit the power of Congress to impeach Justices of the Supreme Court which are believed or accused of wrong-doing. In fact, the temporary restraining orders (TROs) issued by the Supreme Court en banc should not have stood at the very core of the exercise of duty and responsibility of the Senators and Congressmen to the people who elected them.

It is still the President and Congress who possess the ultimate power and authority emanated from the people who elected them and not in the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court whose authority is subservient to the appointing power of the President’s authority to dispense justice and whose function is to see to it that the laws passed by Congress and duly “approved and signed” by the President are correctly interpreted and implemented according to the very spirit to which it were all intended.

Finally, sad to say, CJ Corona was overwhelmed by the vastness of such authority by so interpreting the “absolute character” of the Foreign Currency Act that flopped the very essence and spirit of his testimony. He overdid it!

The Supreme Court is not owned by the people managing its affairs; it is owned by the Filipino people

 

The Senate's first exercise of impeachment against the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court would be written in the History books. So, it would be prudent that the Senators would have to exercise its utmost power and authority to be more dignified in the disposition of the case. Whatever the result of this impeachment trial would certainly instigate a metamorphosis on our justice system.

This would clean up the ranks and file of the institution, and this would break the meteoric hype that the Supreme Court is no vulnerable to graft and corruption; and that it could stand alone in the disposition of justice in the country. This myth brings out the adamant attitude of the SC to the summons of the duly elected authorities, trying to weed them out, by standing to that principle of separation of power between the three pillars of our government.

Now, the SC people should know that they don't own the SC, the SC is owned by the Filipino people who establish the institution to dispose justice according to the mandate that it is tasked to do.

Communist China is employing Protracted War Management Tactic to heightened its claims on Scarborough Islands

 

The Philippine government should be alarmed by such blatant posturing and fearless pronouncements of the Chinese media. You can observe that political propaganda and military bullying is one of the Chinese's protracted war management tactic. While it's diplomatic machinery has been actively composing itself to politicize the Philippine government by virtue of trying push it to the limit of its own resources, other structural representations of the Chinese communist government is tactically manipulating the groundwork as it advances to its military objectives.

They can consider the conflict between the Philippine government as a "petty war" that can be resolve eventually without firing a shot to conclude it. They would utilize that old communist tactical offensives of politicizing the whole observing world to legitimize its own claims on Scarborough Shoal which is about 230 kilometers off Luzon island, while intensifying its war preparation if in case, conflict in the area would be inevitable, because of possible involvement of the United States and its allies.

As we can observe, the Philippine government has been exhausting its whole efforts of trying to engage China in diplomatic settlement while knowing that it would not deal with them directly. China knows the ins and outs within the streams of the Philippine bureaucracy, by indication, it very well know how people who are working the best of their efforts to convince China to quit from “bullying” the country, until such time that the “ultimate demand” will be made to their great advantage.

As of the moment, the political machinery of the communist is working with overwhelming accuracy, which I believe, is very critical to the ongoing diplomatic negotiations. Although, the Philippines would have certainly moves of bringing the matter to the appreciation of the international community, and also through the United Nations, as its optimal ground of action that would legitimize their diplomatic protest. But, all these actions, to the extent of inviting the whole world to come to rescue and assist the Philippines, the ultimate end would still be protracted war management effort of China to go on, even beyond all the reasons that it could bear until all is won.

It would be that in the next few weeks, or even months, when the smoke of the conflict would rise into the next level, there is that possibility that China will not hesitate to use force to concretize its main objective, just like what it did in 1988 when 64 Vietnamese sailors were massacred. It was an act of war against Vietnam, but, the latter could not do otherwise. Vietnam recognizes China as a powerful giant. You can read the whole account of the story here.

Now, the question, can the Philippine government send troops to Scarborough Shoals to defend the islands? Yes, it is possible, but the soldiers should understand that they would be the “sacrificial lambs” when armed conflict against China will erupt. By so doing, the Philippine government can declare war against China, and the latter would be happy to engage.

By this scenario, what would be the legitimate reaction of the U.S.? None, unless China would declare war against the U.S. But, since, it’s only the Philippines, the burden would be the sole responsibility of the Philippines, because the US government would not be dragging its own resources to this mess because either way, it would be to their geopolitical advantage. So, it would all be Philippines against the giant China only. One on One (What a classic scenario!)

I just hope that the Philippine government, no matter what, must stand firm to its claims and it should not yield to the politicizing of the communist China. With or without diplomacy, war is inevitable.

Finally, I know that Philippines is different from Vietnam, or any other Asian country for that matter.

Shaking Off Dusts or Hammering Rusty Doubts: A Supreme Court’s Impeachment Story

There is a very thin line between decisions that determine justice or injustice in a country where the rule of law is perceived to be the keystone of a fair and just society.

People who are managing the affairs of a justice system  are venerated of their astute intelligence and impartiality, precise dispensation of justice that is marked with the highest degree of integrity, with unparalleled liberty in looking at the very fiber of evidence that would yield the utmost degree of truth. By the words of their mouth, it is justice with the highest degree of dispensation.

When one hears the “Supreme Court”, it rings “Justice” as well. The Supreme Court is the last bastion of the rule of law dispensing what truth really is truth. But, when the very head of a justice system is now in question, it would certainly rock the very foundation where the “archived truth” will hang in a balance.

Issues about Chief Justice Renato Corona is now getting deep, and I can see a lot of justice seekers making use of the recent “question of integrity” to propel a much much incline of drawing the justice system corrupt. I believe that the outcome of this trial would bring out the best of our justice system; and it would only be achieved when it will convince the Filipino people. But, mind you, not all decisions or service to justice is a convincing one. Both camps would have to feel, in clear conscience, that justice is served, and served well.

Thus, shaking off the dust or hammering dusty doubts would have to sound the treble part of those not hidden in the lyrics of a metaphorical music. The people is still the final judge of all.

ADB Shuns Away from Workers Right: A Shameful Blunder

These economic technocrats just don't know the base of their economic perspective, a point of their so-called economic study---the Workers. All they have to do is base their perceptions on the principles of exploit, explore and control, a kind of socialist parametric philosophy which assumes that when authorities can control people to react negatively from a given portion of policies to raise economic concerns to increase the chance of earning profits from a business venture, it would be good and favorable to the capital provider but to the sheer disadvantage to the people---the workers, who perspired to make it happen.
Such perspective is clearly depicted on the action taken of those "registered participants". ADB don't like to face them squarely in the forum of discussions to thresh out what really is realistically happening in the field of economic implementation of plans and projects. Such defensive stance as taken by the Philippine Government only show sympathy to these capital movers which would definitely redound to effect the "power to control the protesting people."
It this event, it's the Philippine Government who became the antagonist while those economic technocrats are hiding behind skirt of the Philippine President. I should agree with the ADB's pronouncement that it was an "unfortunate" incident whose scenario was crafted by a "too scared" capital movers; making now the country to look like a pauper to these economic technocrats. What a shameful blunder it was!

The World is turning Red again!

US diplomatic expertise counts best for as much as their national interest would not be subject to certain level of threats that hamper international trades going on in this part of the Pacific. Of course, I believe that they would help the Philippines in case war against China is inevitable, but it doesn't mean that the Philippines as a sovereign nation would have to depend militarily on the U.S.

This recent pronouncement that it would stay neutral as to the “competing sovereignty claims to land features in the South China Sea” draws vividly the axial consideration that it would undertake in case conflict may arise. Although, this diplomatic statement may convince observers from the other part of the world, but it signals a different opportunity for China to undertake a more opportunistic venture that would concretize their whole intension.

Why is it so?

We can notice the cooperative effort of Russia, a country of surprise inclinations, with Putin at the helm of government. Undeniably, Russia has its own grip of influence over China because of its long-time Cold War influence many times over when China opted to close its doors to the world. It assisted China to stand up against all odds until Perestroika brought down the walls of the once majestic Russian communism; and it was expected that China would follow suit. But surprisingly it’s not, it waited until Hong Kong was returned by the British empire after 50 years of colonization. The experience of Hong Kong coupled with geopolitical experiments by its mainland masters, draw two differing faces of China: One engaged in a more democratic system while the other with the  principles of Socialist communism, and here the hardline communist believers of the old Russia still played a silent domino until the ripe time that China would emerge as a new world power. It happened! It’s happening!

The awakened giant is now ready to take geopolitical responsibility which the U.S. signified to let through and would of course really wanted. Why is it that the U.S. is very confident on China to take hold in part, I mean, share the reign of leadership? China was never a conqueror but a conquest of smaller nation like Japan. The U.S. believe that China is a friendly dragon.

On the other perspective, the U.S. owes China, as yet financially as Chinese investments flood through, in one way or another, the underground economy that eventually crippled the financial streams that caught the U.S. financial system flatfooted! While Chinese products of lower prices attracted the general consumers with all the hypes of advertisements, the U.S. Federal system refuse to acknowledge that the absence of Chinese investments from their economy would mean a crippling bone that would soon crack. It needs to extract a new but prophetic bilateral agreement with China to make the playing field more competitive for both side viz-a-viz restoration of the U.S. economic supremacy that would consequently bring out the same stream of easing the financial crisis in some other parts of the world, like Europe or Southeast Asia.

Now, we can see the value of China as a balancing economic superpower. It’s prudent and long-term hard work and patience is now compensating the whole economy of the world. As the whole world is now struggling to recover the lost glory of prosperity because of the world financial crisis, China is now serving as the only economy of the world who’s got the capacity, or capability to wield the magic wand. It’s contributing to the vibrant economy of India, or even part of the European economy, it has a greater edge. And this is why Russia has found a more reliable ally.

Lots of indicators that would speak in itself, point out that China is getting the edge of dominating the whole financial system of the world. It has also build greater influence over decision-making machine of the United Nations with Russia as its stout backup.

Now, do you think that China is still the sleeping dragon?

I’m sorry to say that it’s no longer sleeping. It just woke up from its deep snore! And its future actions will spark a new tranche of fireworks in the air. If it be so, nations have to take sides.

As to the Philippines, I would say that it would remain included among the short listed allies of the United States. But this relations does not guarantee security of sovereignty.