Court employee on ouster of Corona: We're even

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – After 15 difficult years, dismissed court employee Delsa Flores heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday when the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, convicted Renato Corona for betrayal of public trust and dismissed him as chief justice.

“I am so happy with the result. Now we are even. It showed that we, who are lowly, also have a chance in law,” Flores said.

Flores said Corona’s conviction lightened the burden she was carrying, knowing that the chief of the very same tribunal that dismissed her from government service had suffered the same fate.

Flores was a Regional Trial Court interpreter in Panabo City, Davao del Norte when she was dismissed from the service in 1997 for failure to declare a market stall in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

The conviction of Corona also made Flores believe in the law again, which she said is fair and just to everyone.

Flores, a mother of four, said her dismissal in 1997 adversely affected her.

“I wasn’t able to work because the punishment was lifetime and I could not apply for work as I was banned from holding any government office,” she said.

The Supreme Court (SC) dismissed Flores from the service and forfeited all her retirement benefits and accrued leave credits.

Flores tends to her Ipalabada laundry shop located at the old Panabo public market.

She was engaged in the direct selling business before she ventured into the laundry business. She said she had to do her best to make ends meet following the death of her husband shortly after her dismissal.

When the impeachment proceedings against Corona started last December, Flores became an instant celebrity in her hometown. Prosecutors cited her case as the impeachment trial was aired live on national television and radio.

Last Tuesday, most of the 20 senators who voted to convict Corona cited Flores’ case, arguing that Corona should also be found guilty if a plain court employee was dismissed from the service for the same offense involving a much lower amount of assets.

Flores expressed hopes that her case as well as Corona’s would serve as a lesson to all government officials and employees on being honest in declaring their SALN.

Flores admitted her failure to disclose all her assets in her SALN.

“I am just human. I also commit mistakes,” she said.

Flores explained she inherited the market stall from her parents and she failed to declare it in her SALN.

She was tried and convicted based on the charges filed by one Narita Rabe.

Facing the Senate impeachment court last week, Corona pointed out that Flores was dismissed for double compensation, having also received a salary from the Panabo municipal government amounting to at least P1,000 a month.

Voting 20-3, the senators convicted Corona for betraying public trust, the same benchmark used on Flores 15 years ago.

“It is well to stress once again the constitutional declaration that a public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives,” the SC decision on Flores’ case declared.

“We have repeatedly held that although every office in the government service is a public trust, no position exacts a greater demand for moral righteousness and uprightness from an individual than in the judiciary,” the SC ruled.