The law is blind - JAYWALKER by Art A. Borjal

Respect and admiration for the judiciary cannot but grow when one reads judicial decisions such as that issued by the Sandiganbayan’s 3rd division headed by Justice Anacleto Badoy on the proposed house arrest for former President Estrada and son Jinggoy. The resolution is a mere restatement that the law is blind, that it does not distinguish between the rich and the poor, between the king or the pauper.

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The rule of law, not popularity, is the crux of the issue involving the requested house arrest for Erap and Jinggoy. While a majority of Filipinos may look with sympathy or favor at the proposal to accord a special privilege to a former President of the Republic, the Constitution and the law nonetheless abhor any such special treatment to a favored few. In gist, what the Sandiganbayan resolution says is that the law is the law, and no one is above the law.

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Now, the authorities concerned must comply with the law as interpreted by the Sandiganbayan. Which means that sooner or later, Erap and Jinggoy must return to their cell at Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna. And their prolonged stay at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, where their alleged ailment was used as a ploy to justify their special treatment inside a government hospital, will have to come to an end.

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The Sandiganbayan has ordered hospital authorities at VMMC to render a report on the status of the health of Erap and Jinggoy. The sense of the court resolution is that the health report must be real and factual. If hospital authorities think that Justice Badoy and his colleagues at the Sandiganbayan are joking, then they will be in for a big surprise. They might just learn the meaning of contempt of court.

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Just to prolong the stay of the Estradas at the VMMC, Erap’s lawyers are expected to move for reconsideration of the Sandiganbayan ruling, then appeal an adverse decision to the Supreme Court. This is called a dilatory tactic, but it is part of the judicial process, a move that all lawyers resort to. While in the end, the Supreme Court may turn down the appeal of Erap’s lawyers, it shall have given the Estradas additional time to live in relative warmth and comfort at the VMMC.

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The Filipino people’s penchant for self-destruction is fabled. Take a look at the public utility vehicles, especially the jeepneys and buses, that continue to pollute the air we breathe. Consider, too, the unabated destruction of our forest resources, despite existing laws. Garbage is also a problem we cannot lick. And even what was once beautiful Manila Bay has become a swimmer’s hazard.

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It is true that environmental causes have recently surfaced. However, these initiatives have come from a few non-governmental organizations that are popularly believed to have seized on these issues for lack of anything better to do.

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In a culture that savors struggles and contradictions, environmental issues are not easy to appreciate. Why? Because these are not glamorous enough or sensational. And these are not as enjoyable as watching politicians fighting one another for their own personal agenda.

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Senator Loren Legarda seems to be the only bigtime political figure who has taken environmental issues seriously. And what is admirable about her initiatives is that she has been taking concrete steps to stop or minimize environmental degradation.

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"Developmental" is an apt description of Loren’s initiatives on the environment. While these may not catch banner headlines in the newspapers, they are much, much more meaningful than the rhetoric that comes from so-called environmentalists. Concerned citizens hope that other political figures are going to emulate Loren’s developmental approach to problems affecting the environment.

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With the opening of classes at all levels, expect the traffic situation in Metro Manila to worsen. This should serve as a cue to the Metro Manila Development Authority, headed by Benjamin Abalos, to begin in earnest the task of rationalizing the traffic system in the metropolis. For one, there should be strong political will to instill discipline among the motorists who, as of now, have apparently remained as kings of the road, allowed to do almost everything in violation of existing traffic rules.

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Probably, Ben Abalos, too, must now take control of the traffic lights in Metro Manila. The job of handling the traffic lights has, for the past many years, remained in the hands of the Department of Public Works and Highways. This is a job that the DPWH has performed with mediocrity. With the MMDA taking over, there might just be some improvements in the traffic light system.

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Jojo Dancel, although based in China, monitors through Internet, on a day-to-day basis, the raging events in our country. After he read my column item about the "homecourt advantage" that our country should exploit, Dancel wrote to suggest that we should have a short-term goal in cheering for our "home team" which is the Philippines. Jeer the Abu Sayyaf and cheer for our country – that is Dancel’s message.

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Here, Dancel said, media has an important role to play. Media should not give exposure to the enemy. Report the points scored by the home team, not the fouls or errors of the home team players. And then, report all the negative things being done by the enemy. Do not glamorize them, or sympathize with them. "This is how to play the homecourt advantage," said Dancel.

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PULSEBEAT: There is a whale of difference between the security guards at SM Megamall and the Rockwell Power Plant Mall. At SM, the guards are eagle-eyed in seeing to it that the parking spaces for disabled people are really reserved for the handicapped. At Power Plant Mall, the guards seem to be blind as to who use the reserved parking spaces for the handicapped. Last time I was at Power Plant, I noticed that even panel delivery trucks are allowed to use the spaces reserved for cars of the handicapped… Nita Torres, chairman of the MCTJ Organ Transplant Foundation, sent me an impressive listing of the foundation’s achievements during the past 10 years. Apparently, it has been a close partner of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in helping save the lives of Filipinos in need of kidney transplants.

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My e-mail addresses: <[email protected]> and <[email protected]>