Noy slams Corona anew at PBA anniversary

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino commended the Philippine Bar Association (PBA) for helping him expose the anomalies brought about by the midnight appointment of former chief justice Renato Corona in May 2010.

“I made it a point to be here with your association not just to thank you for taking a similar position with us, but to thank you for being a consistent voice for the rule of law,” Aquino said on the occasion of PBA’s 123rd founding anniversary on Thursday.

Corona’s appointment was upheld twice by a vote of 9-3 by the SC, until about 180 members of the House of Representatives signed the impeachment complaint in December 2011.

“You were right to be so concerned,” Aquino told the lawyer’s group.

“In our system of government, there is a separation of powers among the executive, judicial and legislative branches – a built-in system of checks and balances that, most would agree, relies on an objective and nonpartisan SC,” he said.

“Unfortunately, this objectivity was subverted when (former President Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo appointed then chief justice Corona in what many in the legal profession, including the PBA, believed to be improper,” Aquino recalled.

Aside from the Corona case, Aquino also thanked PBA for taking their side during the martial law years when his father, the late former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., was detained by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

“Even when so many other lawyers’ groups seem so willing to add to the noise and clamor, your association remains sober and measured in its statements. This is what sets the PBA apart from all other groups,” Aquino said.

“Even in disagreement, you do not pander to public sentiment, but raise the level of discourse and uphold the rule of law – in all situations, you have found that there is only one answer to the question: Does this redound to the common good?” he added.

Aquino extolled the audacity of the PBA lawyers for supporting the administration’s impeachment case despite knowing that such action would jeopardize their individual careers.

Ensuring equity and justice is a duty not just of the government, Aquino said, but of the lawyers as well, expressing confidence that the PBA will continue to uphold its integrity in serving the Filipino people.

“Whether as lawyers today, or as judges and justices, each time you make a decision that redounds to the benefit of all, each time you choose the straight path, you are not only living up to the oath you swore when you were admitted to the Bar, you are also and more importantly helping to build a more just, a more fair society,” Aquino stressed.

“Whether or not you are a member of the PBA, whatever your alma mater or area of practice, this is what must unite all those in the legal profession: A firm resolve to uphold both the spirit and the letter of the law, towards serving your fellowmen,” he said.

During the event, the PBA accorded the President a resolution of support.

The PBA is the oldest voluntary national organization of lawyers in the Philippines. It traces its roots to the Colegio de Abogados de Filipinas organized on April 8, 1891 and the bar association organized by American lawyers in the Philippines in 1900.

On June 24, 1904 under the inspiration of Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano, the Colegio de Abogados de Filipinas and the association of American lawyers in the Philippines merged to form the PBA.

The PBA joined the nation in condemning the proclamation of martial law in 1972, mourning the assassination of Ninoy Aquino on Aug. 21, 1983, and welcoming the return of democracy on Feb. 25, 1986.

During martial law, the PBA investigated various violations of human rights and successfully won cases for the release of many detainees.