A dangerous spontaneous outrage

Even EDSA Dos had not provoked such widespread outrage as the impeachment move against Supreme Court Justice Hilario Davide and the other justices.

I was in Iloilo attending a retreat. Suddenly, I found my cellphone clogged with text messages urging a protest against the impeachment move. There were appeals to pass on to others the call not to vote for reelection of the solons who had signed the resolution.

And, yes, there was the plea to inform Rep. Gilbert Teodoro of Tarlac to make him aware of the widespread dismay his sponsorship of the impeachment resolution had provoked.

I deliberately used the word "provoke". The impeachment resolution also stirred a backlash against the members of the National People’s Coalition.

"Let’s teach politicians and greedy businessmen a lesson, Please Pass on," read one message.

Boycott Call

Which also included a call to boycott San Miguel Corporation products. Poor Danding Cojuangco. He may never had been consulted about the move, but the fact that the NPC voted almost as one for the impeachment resolution indicated at least tacit nod from the business tycoon.

The protesters, which ran across a broad band of civil society and non-government organizations, made a stronger pitch. A call to vote against the solons who signed the resolution.

In the case of Negros Occidental, that encompassed Congressmen Charlie Cojuangco, Julio Ledesma, Alfredo Maranon, Jose Carlos Lacson and Lim-ao Alvarez.

The reaction was spontaneous. For that matter, only a handful of organizations tried to mobilize their members for today’s motorcade in Bacolod. But there were reports that similar protest actions are going to be held today in Cebu, Metro Manila, Davao and other major cities of the country.

Civic organizations, normally apolitical, also pitched in. So did foundations and other groups early yesterday morning. An emergency meeting was held yesterday morning at McDonald’s fronting the provincial lagoon and park to discuss more extended and better coordinated protest action.

"We can’t afford to jeopardize democracy," pointed out Dr. Violeta Gonzaga of the Seacrest Foundation.

She was echoed by lawyer Raymund Pandan, dean of the University of St. La Salle who pointed out the violation of the constitutional provision on the separation of powers of the three branches of government.

The key officials of the Couple of Christ, headed by Bob Magalona also participated in yesterday’s meeting to mount a protest action. The organization now counts more than 30,000 members in the province.

Initially, the Peace Advocates of Negros, No-Erap movement, Genuine Agrarian Reform Advocates for Negros Development, and the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement of Negros spearheaded the motorcade and noise barrage.

Later, others pitched in. So did the wearing of black bands to signify the death of democracy. Dr. Antonio Sarabia of the Christian Family Movement and several other organizations did one better – "I am wearing a black shirt so that my protest will be unmistakable."

The local chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, headed by Gilfredo Geolingo Jr. said even some judges are set to wear black armed bands in support of the chief justice.

The groups initiating the protest also deplore "this latest move to erode our democratic system by attacking the remaining credible bulwark of democracy, the judiciary."

Mr. Clean

Dr. Gonzaga, of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, said she had just completed an in-depth investigation into the conduct of Davide in managing the high tribunal. "He is clean," is how she summarized her findings.

Deputy Speaker Raul Gonzales reinforced the perception of the protesters of the convergence of vested political interests behind the Davide ouster move.

During a television interview, he quoted several congressmen as having owned that they were visited in their homes and asked to sign the impeachment resolution.

Party Decision

A Negrense solon admitted that he had not signed it but observed that "if the party so decides, I shall have no option but to endorse the impeachment move." That strengthened the suspicions that the NPC had worked for it as a party matter.

Gonzales pointed out that the Commission on Audit en banc had cleared the books of the Supreme Court. But there are those who claim that some auditors contradicted the findings. "But why give credence to the unsupported testimonies of some auditors as against a documentary evidence?" questioned the Iloilo solon.

Besides, Gonzales pointed out, the best thing for the impeachment advocates to have done was ask for a copy of the collegial meetings of the high tribunal. "After all, the body does not just make decisions. It is a collegial decision," he pointed out.

Black Shirts And Armbands

Early yesterday morning, even joggers at the provincial lagoon were already sporting black armbands. And there were many pedestrians either wearing black-shirts or shirts and pants as sign of protest.

"There’s already something very wrong with our Legislature. And it is time for us to project very emphatically that we do not agree with their action against Chief Justice Davide," stressed Herman Santos, office manager of the Confederation of Sugar Producers (Confed).

Students, too are getting involved. And so with Churchmen, although the latter group seem to have taken for the moment a more restrained tack.

But there is no more emphatic protest as the snowballing swell of support for Davide. And, if one were to read the message there are those who are advocating to draft him for the presidency. That could amount to a real revolution.