‘I did my best,’ says Badoy

"I did my best."

That’s how Sandiganbayan Justice Anacleto Badoy Jr. described his career in the judiciary, as he bade goodbye to his staff yesterday before officially retiring this weekend.

Badoy, who turns 70 years old tomorrow, was one of three justices hearing the criminal cases against ousted President Joseph Estrada before the Supreme Court transferred the cases to the special division.

Speaking in an almost inaudible voice, Badoy brushed aside questions from reporters about the Estrada cases, saying he preferred not to talk about them

"No questions about (those) please," he said. "Another court now has jurisdiction over (them)."

Ironically, Badoy was leaving the judiciary quietly, in contrast to the publicity he received when he was hearing the Estrada cases as chairman of the anti-graft court’s 3rd division.

Badoy said there will be no rites to usher in his retirement from a long service in government. "I will have lunch with my staff, that’s all," he said.

When he was hearing the Estrada cases, Badoy quarreled with then Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Francis Garchitorena who handled the cases raffled off to the 1st division, which he chaired.

Before long, the media was publishing juicy details about the conflict in which Badoy accused Garchitorena of pressuring him to resign. – Romel Bagares