Absence of class

The practice of the Philippine legal profession was somehow stained and smeared when the lawyers of deposed President Joseph Estrada refused to appear before the Sandiganbayan on the first trial date of the plunder case filed against Erap, presidential son Jinggoy and other persons. There was neither élan nor grace in the way the lawyers rationalized their reason for refusing to attend the initial hearing. Certainly, no one believed the lawyer’s explanation, and their lack of credibility was a sad day for the Philippine justice system.

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The lawyers’ ploy was obvious. They did not want Erap’s plunder trial to begin. "Dilatory tactic" is the term used to describe the lawyers’ stratagem. Whether they gained public sympathy or not from adopting their tactical move is easy to answer. The day after the Sandiganbayan trial began, opinion surveys conducted by leading television and radio stations showed an overwhelming number of people denouncing the ploy of Erap’s lawyers.

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Former Senator Rene Saguisag, one of Erap’s top lawyers, said in a television interview that popularity does not matter to him. In other words, he does not care about public opinion insofar as Erap’s plunder case is concerned. One wonders whether Rene is right in adopting such a stance. For isn’t it a fact that all throughout the past several months, both the prosecution and defense panels have been engaged in a psywar effort to win the public sympathy?

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There is another kind of "bomb" that is about to explode in the Philippines. And this "bomb" could topple not only our local skyscrapers but all our industries. The "bomb" was set by what seems to be a conspiracy between a group of Chinese-Filipino importers and a judge of a regional trial court in Valenzuela.

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The "bomb" is now silently ticking. Once it explodes, all our local industries will be blown away to kingdom come.

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The "bomb" is in the form of a court injunction issued by Judge Floro Alejo of the Valenzuela RTC about two weeks ago. The injunction effectively renders inutile all the so-called "safety nets" set by the government to protect local industries and products from the adverse effects and impact of trade and import liberalization, as a result of our country’s membership in the World Trade Organization and the ASEAN Free Trade Area.

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Directed against the Safeguard Measures Act (Republic Act 8800), the injunction shocked not only the local industries, but also the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture, and even Congress. Note that it took Congress many years to deliberate on and eventually pass RA 8800, whose intention is to provide protection to local industries injured by sudden import surges. But by the mere stroke of his pen, the RTC judge rendered all the safety net measures void.

The injunction was sought by cement and tile importers in order to prevent the DTI from granting increases in tariffs of imported cement and tiles. Local manufacturers of cement and tiles have complained to the DTI of damages caused by import surges in cement and tiles, resulting in the loss of up to 35 percent of their market, in the case of cement.

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Aside from loss of market share, thousands of workers in distressed cement plants have already been laid off. If the import surge is not checked through the increase in tariffs, the manufacturers said that the local cement industry will be wiped out in 14 months. But even before DTI Secretary Mar Roxas could rule on the request of the manufacturers, as authorized under RA 8800, the judge and the importers fired their missiles.

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Thanks a million, and God bless the following people for lending a helping hand to the Good Samaritan Foundation:

* Paolo Contis, a regular donor, P3,000 (Allied 021727)

* Atty. Victor C. Fernandez, in honor of his late mother, Soledad C. Fernandez, wife of the late Senator and Justice Estanislao "Taning" Fernandez, on the occasion of her 91st birthday last October 8, 2001, P15,000 (BPI 128171).

* Atty. Victor C. Fernandez, in honor of his late father-in-law, former Rizal Governor Isidro S. Rodriguez, P5,000 (BPI 128172).

* Romeo V. Tankiang, Singalong, Manila, also a regular donor, P1,000 (BPI 0120452)

* Elena G. Monzon, Imus, Cavite, P1,000 (Metrobank 0952380)

* Nene Buenaventura of Sta. Ana, Manila, P2,000, through the kindness of Mrs. Rosa Pacubas

* Virginia del Mundo of Novaliches, Quezon City, P500, through the kindness of Mrs. Rosa Pacubas

* Neil Manhit of UERM Memorial Medical Center, P500.

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In the meantime, the Good Samaritan Foundation extended assistance to the following needy beneficiaries:

* Fidel Berog, an amputee studying in a public high school in Muntinlupa City, P1,500.

* Lalaine Manalo of San Juan, Metro Manila, P5,000 for her medicine and hospital treatment

* Fe Singson, P7,500 for her medicines for breast cancer

* Maybelline de la Paz, P3,530 for her tuition fee at Trinity College of Quezon City

* Cris Rey S. Tatad of Singalong, Manila, P5,704 for his tuition fee at Central College of the Philippines where he is taking up a college course.

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Thoughts for Today:

Always welcome a new day
with a smile on your face,
love in your heart,
good thoughts in your mind,
and you’ll have a wonderday ahead.
God cares!

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Whichever way we go–
UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT–
there will always be a CENTER: GOD.
Make Him the center of your life.

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My e-mail address: <[email protected]>.