There are mounting calls from certain sectors of Philippine society for Chief Justice Reynato Puno to run for president in 2010. Puno has so far rejected all of them. But if he is truly not inclined to run, then he should do more than just saying no.
It would do his heretofore unsullied credibility a lot of good if, for instance, he should stop going about town honoring speaking engagements in which his topics seldom deviate from such issues as corruption, greed, violence, immorality and dishonesty.
Of course the chief justice has as much right as everyone else to talk, and to talk of anything under the sun, even if the chief justices of other countries do not seem to be as inclined as he seems to be recently.
Most foreign chief justices prefer to shy away from social gatherings, especially speaking engagements where there is always the risk of their utterances getting misconstrued and taken against the sanctity of their offices.
To these foreign chief justices or high magistrates or however they may be called in their respective countries, there is always a time for speeches and lectures once they have retired. In fact, they view post-retirement speaking engagements as more dignified.
Of course, Filipinos always have a uniquely different view of the world, and Filipino chief justices are no exception. So if Puno sees nothing wrong in making public speeches, who are we to take away that right from him.
Our only worry is that he is being courted to seek a political position. Worse, it is a courtship that is a secret to no one. In fact, if we may say so, the clamor is snowballing, only that Puno has been saying no so far.
And there is the rub. While he has been saying no, Puno has made it a favorite topic to talk of political issues, issues that are precisely the same as those that are being hurled against the sitting president.
President Arroyo is being accused and suspected by many Filipinos of corruption, greed, violence, immorality and dishonesty --- the very same issues that lace most of the speeches of Puno, the same Puno being urged to seek the presidency.
Even if it is true that deep down inside Puno does not want to seek the presidency, the fact that many people want him to should have made him think twice about sending the wrong signals and get misconstrued in a way that can affect the integrity of his office.
In a country as politicized as the Philippines, no amount of Puno saying no can dissuade people from believing he is in fact running if he continues to go around making politicals speeches.
The reason why Filipinos want no more of Arroyo is because of the corruption, greed, violence, immorality and dishonesty associated with her administration. The reason why many people want Puno to take her place is because they believe he is untainted by all these.
So far, Puno has said he is not interested in running. And yet, so far, he has not stopped making speeches about the same things that people want him to run. So what gives, Mr. Chief Justice, are we or aren't we?
I have a very strong suspicion that Puno cannot remain impervious to all these assaults on his consciousness and conscience. He may be the chief justice, but he is a human being just as well. So while he may have his strengths, he most certainly has weaknesses.