EDITORIAL - Judicial housecleaning

The Court of Appeals was in an unwanted spotlight yesterday as several of its members were sanctioned by the Supreme Court. Justice Vicente Roxas was fired following an investigation of accusations that he received a P10-million bribe in exchange for a ruling favoring the Manila Electric Co.

The colleague who blew the whistle on Roxas, Justice Jose Sabio, also did not escape punishment, with the SC suspending him for two months. Sabio’s brother, Chairman Camilo Sabio of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, faces what appears to be a harsher penalty: disbarment, and, if Malacañang upholds ethical standards in public service, dismissal from the PCGG. Several other CA justices involved in the Meralco case were also either officially reprimanded or admonished.

The SC spared the other public official who reportedly gave the PCGG chief advance information about the CA’s restraining order on the Meralco case — lawyer Jesus Santos, a board member of the Government Service Insurance System and former spokesman of the First Gentleman. Where Santos got his information remains unclear, and the SC appears uninterested in finding out. Meanwhile, businessman Francis Roa de Borja faces investigation by the Department of Justice in connection with the alleged P10-million payoff.

Though there is some dissatisfaction over the decision, the fact that justices of the nation’s second highest court are being punished for misconduct is a step in the right direction. The SC should pursue its housecleaning with no letup. This is a case that came to light only because someone blew the whistle. How prevalent is bribery and influence peddling in the judiciary? The nation may never know the full extent, but the SC can intensify its efforts to reduce opportunities for corruption in the judicial system.

Also laudable is the unusual speed in resolving this scandal. The three-member panel of retired justices, of course, had no other cases to handle and could therefore afford to finish their investigation ASAP. But why should cases be allowed to languish for many years in court?

The Supreme Court should not stop at the penalties imposed on the justices of the appellate court. The CA mess should pave the way for sweeping reforms in the entire judiciary.