'honorable'

The term “honorable” can be defined as guided by, or with a reputation for having, strong moral and ethical principles. In the search for a chief justice, it is imperative that he or she is indeed “honorable”.

I have found an individual who is eminently qualified for this position. This gentleman began his career in academia as assistant professor of Law in 1985 at the University of the Philippines. He has taught constitutional law, corporation law, citizenship, special contracts, international economic law, and law of the sea. He also served as UP’s vice-president for Public Affairs in 1991 and as director of the Institute of International Legal Studies of the UP Law Center from 1989 to 1996, during which period he maintained close working relations with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Council, and the Foreign Service Institute. It was in 1992-93 that I met Popo when I was Secretary of Foreign Affairs. He is a known authority on UNCLOS issues.

He has served the government with distinction as Secretary of Energy, president and CEO of PSALM and deputy-director general of NEDA. Currently, he is regional director of a UN program on environment and management of the seas. He was recently elected to the board of a prestigious corporation. He was selected after a one year search for someone whose integrity was beyond question and highly respected in his field as well as the public and private sector.

I do not recall any candidate for the same position who has been the subject of multiple positive columns. I refer to Rafael “Popo” Lotilla. Allow me to echo the sentiments expressed by other columnists. Like my fellow columnists Romy Bernardo and Jarius Bondoc, I quote his letter declining the nomination for the position of Chief Justice. His words are a clear indication of the worth of this gentleman:

“I have considered thoroughly the nomination that you have submitted to the Judicial and Bar Council, and I can only express to you my sincere thanks, but regretfully have to decline.

“In the past, I took the position that in a highly politicized context as in the Philippines, appointment to the office of the Chief Justice based on seniority is a tradition that minimizes the jockeying for appointment from within and outside of the Court. I still have to be convinced of the wisdom of departing from that view.

“The tradition of seniority has a way of muting political ambitions and insulates to some degree the office of Chief Justice from the patronato system. Over the long-term, particularly under future presidencies whose virtues we are unable to anticipate at this point, adherence to the principle of seniority may still be our best option. Restoration of the tradition, which is entirely of Philippine innovation, would then shift the national focus to the quality of every future appointment to the Court, and away from the position solely of the Chief Justice. Would not this be in better keeping with the collegial character of the Republic’s Supreme Court?”

“I suggest that only for overwhelming reasons, such as the inability of the incumbent members of the Court to redeem themselves and the institution, should we consider appointing from outside of the Court. Whether these weighty considerations exist, the appointing power can be a better judge from the unobstructed view of the leader’s lair. But my own individual assessment is colored with undisguised optimism: that the members of the Court, individually and as a collective, have distilled from recent experience lessons of primordial import for rebuilding and strengthening national institutions including the Court itself.”

Popo Lotilla is the personification of being “honorable”. I cannot say I am a close friend of Popo. I am a mere acquaintance but one who considers him with the highest regard and esteem. I sincerely hope that the next Chief Justice will be cut from the same cloth as Popo.

Technology updates

I recently attended a presentation on technology in Hong Kong. For the sake of brevity, below are two charts which indicate significant growth in the Internet as well as the relevance of global retail in the future use of the Internet. In my next column, I will provide more interesting updates in relation to Southeast Asia.

Internet growth 

US growth has plateaued but bear in mind that their penetration is highest at 79 percent. Philippine growth rate is 44 peercent with penetration of 35 percent. Clearly China’s growth will continue outpacing other nations.

Global retail trade spend is 13x the size of travel spend and 20x the size of advertising spend. e-Commerce will receive greater focus in our part of the world as has been the case in the Western World. I will discuss further in my next column.